An Officeworks manager who refused to serve a Jewish customer was also involved in another anti-Semitic incident just weeks earlier.
The manager first sparked outrage after she was filmed refusing to serve a Jewish customer at an Officeworks store at Elsternwick, in Melbourne‘s east, on March 4.
The customer, who had been wearing a yarmulke, wanted to laminate an article from the Australian Jewish News newspaper.
The piece was titled: ‘The indomitable spirit of our people’, and featured a photo of a group holding Australian and Israeli flags.
After seeing the newspaper, the Officeworks manager refused serve and stated: ‘I’m pro-Palestine.’
It is understood the employee later apologised and visited the Melbourne Holocaust Museum to improve her understanding of Jewish issues.
However, it can now be revealed she had also been involved in a separate anti-Semitic incident just weeks beforehand on January 28, The Australian reported.
The manager is understood to have told a Jewish woman it was ‘impossible’ to print pictures in the size she wanted ‘because the Jews had used all the paper’.
The manager first sparked outrage after she was filmed refusing to serve a Jewish customer at an Officeworks store at Elsternwick, in Melbourne ‘s east, on March 4
She was ordered by Officeworks to visit the museum – which coincidentally landed on the day after the second incident that occurred in March.
The customer involved in the latest scandal lodged a complaint with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, claiming Officeworks discriminated against his race and religion by refusing him service.
‘This incident has caused my family and me significant distress and has raised concerns about whether it is safe to visit our local stores and conduct our usual activities,’ he said.
‘None of the staff intervened during the situation with the manager, and the embarrassment and harassment we experienced have left a lasting impact.’
Officeworks has since apologised and said they have ‘taken this matter extremely seriously’, but will not fire the manager.
‘In this particular incident, our policies were incorrectly applied and in accordance with our Officeworks’ policies, the laminating should have taken place,’ an Officeworks spokesperson said.
‘Additionally, we have provided ongoing training and education to our team members so they are aware of the legal requirements in respect of discrimination and of Officeworks’ policies and procedures.’
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has since weighed in on the issue telling Sky News on Sunday that residents should not be ‘refused service for who they are’ and that he had spoken to Jillian Segal – the government’s envoy for anti-Semitism.
He confirmed that Ms Segal had been ‘quite directly’ dealing with the issue and that the employee had been given a ‘formal, final warning’.
‘When I look at the process that’s been followed by Officeworks, I look at the change in view of that particular worker in terms of the circumstances and her depth of understanding and the good work that’s been done by the anti-Semitism envoy,’ Mr Burke said.
The customer involved in the March incident lodged a complaint with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, claiming Officeworks discriminated against his race and religion by refusing him service
‘I actually think throughout all of this, for the horrific video that we saw, we’ve in fact moved forward in that long process which is so important of stamping out anti-Semitism.’
Daily Mail Australia contacted Officeworks for comment regarding the first incident.
Footage from the second incident showed the Officeworks manager explain she could refuse a customer because of the store’s policies.
Officeworks clarified that was incorrect.
‘I’m not comfortable proceeding with it (the job),’ the manager told the man.
The customer asked: ‘Maybe there’s another staff member that’s comfortable doing it.’
The worker replied: ‘You can wait for (another staff member) and see if she’s comfortable doing it, but I know I’m not.
‘I’m pro-Palestine and, for political reasons, I’m not comfortable.’
The customer questioned whether Officeworks’ policies gave workers the discretion to refuse service based on their personal beliefs.
Embarrassingly, the staff member failed to find the words to justify her position when asked to explain her actions.
‘We have the right to deny jobs, because I’m not comfortable proceeding with it,’ she said.
‘Israel and Judaism can be completely separate.
