'Only speak English' | Worker banned from speaking native language on personal call wins race claim

A nuclear worker he was racially discriminated against for being told not to speak his native language during a personal phone call to his family.

An employment tribunal in Scotland upheld claims brought by Mr K Ruiza against Nuclear Restoration Services, finding that an instruction requiring him to “only speak English at work” amounted to unlawful race discrimination, even though it was framed by management as a workplace conduct issue.

Background to the case

Mr Ruiza was employed by Nuclear Restoration Services at a Scottish site and is a native Swahili speaker. The tribunal heard that he would occasionally speak Swahili to his family in Tanzania during his lunch break, using his personal mobile phone.

In August 2023, Mr Ruiza was told by his manager, Ms Wood, that he should “only speak English at work”. The tribunal found that this instruction was later repeated in writing in a follow-up email days later.