France: Chef fired for preparing halal steak
Via 7sur7 (French):
A French chef employed by the Avenance Elior catering company and working in the Hewlett-Packard (HP) cafeteria in Ulis (Ile-de-France), was laid off in August for making a halal steak by request of a Muslim employee, reports Le Parisien. About 500 employees mobilized to defend the chef and signed a petition which will be presented to Avenance Elior's management.
Chef Guillaume Chigot, who was grilling meat in the cafeteria, agreed to prepare frozen halal steaks which would be brought by one of the employees. Chigot says he told the employee it wasn't legal, but that he'll do it if it will stay between them. He made sure the steaks would stay separate from other food products.
Avenance wrote the chef that preparing the steaks, whose origin, manufacturing conditions, freezing and transport are unknown, call into question the professionalism and the procurement and manufacturing processes.
Michel Soumet, CGT union representative for HP says they don't question imposing sanctions, since the cook recognized his mistake, but they believe that a warning would have sufficed.
