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Kitchen manager criticised for 'sexist' job advert asking men to apply first
The employee defended her comments claiming she needed a man to do 'heavy lifting'
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Your support makes all the difference.A female kitchen manager has been criticised for posting a job advert asking for only male candidates to apply.
Posting to the ‘Jobs in Bristol and Surrounding Areas’ Facebook page, Angela Borsi, who works at the Bristol Harbourside branch of Slug and Lettuce wrote: “'Chef job! In Slug and Lettuce Bristol Harbourside. Boys first, if possible.”
The post, which called for male applicants to to apply for an £8-an-hour chef role requiring 40-45 hours work per week, was quickly flooded with comments by people branding it as “sexist.”
“Boy’s first!? What?” one person wrote.
Another added: “Wow, if this isn't the most sexist post I've seen today.”
However, Borsi has since defended her use of language claiming that the job requires a candidate who can do heavy lifting.
“I don't think it's nothing bad - the people are thinking bad about that, I didn't want a boyfriend,” she told the Bristol Post.
“I have two girls in the kitchen already, one is me and the other is pregnant and we need a man for the heavy lifting, when we do an oil change, it is 20 litre containers and they are heavy - that's the reason I put 'boys first'.”
According to UK law, employers must not show any form of gender discrimination within job adverts or job descriptions themselves.
“An employer cannot show a preference to hire someone of a particular gender without a genuine occupational requirement,” employment agency Reed states.
“Without one, any language in the job advert relating to gender preference could be viewed as discriminatory.
“Even with seemingly good intentions from a recruiter (such as trying to even up the gender split in the office, for example), favouring a man or woman for a particular role is generally not acceptable.”
A spokesperson for Slug and Lettuce told The Independent: “Whilst this individual is a team member she does not handle our recruitment.
“The post was done proactively on a personal feed in her own time and certainly does not reflect company policy.
“We would like to apologise for any offence caused and reassure all applicants that our management team handles all recruitment to ensure the correct procedures are adhered to and it will be no different with this vacancy.“
The Independent has contacted Angela Borsi for comment.
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