Muslim sues Tesco for 'making him carry beer'

By JOEL TAYLOR - Sunday, September 28, 2008

Contentious: Lager

A Muslim worker is suing Tesco for discrimination after being asked to transport beer on his forklift truck.

Mohammed Ahmed claims he was in effect forced from his job because managers refused to accept that handling alcohol offended his beliefs.

The 32-year-old, raised in Saudi Arabia, told a tribunal he had never visited a Tesco store and had no idea it sold alcohol when he took on the role.

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But he admitted shopping at Sainsbury's, Lidl and Asda and seeing alcohol on sale there.

It was, 'reasonable to expect him to be aware of what Tesco did', said company lawyer Laura Canham, accusing him of giving out mixed messages by suggesting at one point he could handle Budweiser.

The saga began in September last year, when Mr Ahmed, from Derby, started working at the retail giant's distribution depot in Lichfield, Staffordshire.

Realising the problem, Mr Ahmed said he asked for another role but was allegedly told by aggressive supervisors: 'You do the job or go home.'

He lodged a formal complaint in February but was then victimised and harassed, the tribunal in Birmingham heard.

He left two months later, saying he had no choice but to resign 'in protest'.

'I am not saying I am a perfect person, but there was a conflict with my beliefs,' he said.

Miss Canham denied discrimination, saying: 'All other roles, in some form or other, also came into contact with alcohol.'

The tribunal will rule this week.