LATVIAN HGV CLASS 1 DRIVERS REQIURED IN ERITH KENT
London
See original job posting at Gumtree.com »
Latvian Class 1 drivers requried at local transport company in Erith, Kent due to increase in work load. You must have at least 10 years driving experince and speak english and latvian as we need to communicate with people from Latvia on a regular basis. We transport containers from all major ports in the UK to Greater London and beyond. Contact Vik onx to arrange an interview.
Is this advert allowed on several levels? Only delivering to Latvian speaking people in Greater London and beyond? Are container hauliers allowed to pick and choose their jobs so that they only deliver to Latvian speaking people in Greater London and beyond? I thought that when delivering container loads in was just a case of ‘ere you are give us a knock when its empty’. Must be easy to find a translation for that!! 
Well say shoe was on other foot and it said english drivers only, do you think it would be acceptable?
You could possibly just about understand it if it involved driving to Latvia, although I’ve never had a problem driving in countries where I didn’t speak the language. But for container work?
merc0447:
Well say shoe was on other foot and it said english drivers only, do you think it would be acceptable?
that neither!!
merc0447:
Well say shoe was on other foot and it said english drivers only, do you think it would be acceptable?
Yes we’re english, and Erith in Kent is in England old chap! 
MJD maybe??
They don’t speak English in Kent. More like Mockney.
Think if they had put the word “speaking” after Latvian, then it would be ok, as that is a requirement of the job, but by leaving that out, it is discriminating against anyone who is not latvian and i would think in breach of equal opportunites laws.
It is unlawful to discriminate by race, see link below;
acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1849
Tiger.
I would say the advert is illegal, there is no genuine requirement for a container driver to be able to speak Latvian. If you advertised a container job and said “No deaf mutes” then you would be in serious trouble.
Harry Monk:
I would say the advert is illegal, there is no genuine requirement for a container driver to be able to speak Latvian. If you advertised a container job and said “No deaf mutes” then you would be in serious trouble.
Or worse still White drivers only, then the fan would be covered in brown stuff.
Fastrantiger:
It is unlawful to discriminate by race, see link below;acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1849
Tiger.
So what, employers will still discriminate & do whatever they like, after all it is an employers market out there today, hence there being not many young or ethnic minorities working as drivers…!
Fastrantiger:
It is unlawful to discriminate by race, see link below;acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1849
Tiger.
Pedantic I accept but, wouldn’t Latvian be “Nationality” rather than “race”?
If it’s a LOCAL firm it should just be for LOCAL people 
truckerjon:
Think if they had put the word “speaking” after Latvian, then it would be ok, as that is a requirement of the job, but by leaving that out, it is discriminating against anyone who is not latvian and i would think in breach of equal opportunites laws.
It is not a breach of equal opportunities law as we all know foreigners have more rights in this country than we do!
Nothing to do with a Latvian wage by any chance!
Can you imagine the uproar if an English company put an advert saying muslims,ethnic minorities or east europeans need not apply.
This company wants reporting to the authorities.
I reported it on Gumtree’s website, which is where I saw the add, claiming it was illegal, racist and discriminatory.
Don’t know if it made any odds though as it’s still the weekend.
vwgpmk2:
It is not a breach of equal opportunities law as we all know foreigners have more rights in this country than we do!
Maybe it’s because they stand up for theirs.
why not name and shame then, after all if your English you could not do it and where are we ENGLAND!
I for one are fed up being told don’t say this or don’t say that because your up set them, well you try it in there counties and see what happens to you.
The only way this ad would be valid would be for it to involve trucking across Europe TO Latvia, liasing with a non-English remote depot.
You’d still have to word the ad “Latvian Speaking Bi Lingual Driver required” rather than “Latvian driver required” because for all anyone knows - there might actually be such an existing English person!
If this ad WERE valid, then how much longer will it be before we see ads for
"Eastern European Female required. LIAF. £250pw. Share house. No kids to look after.
Must be unattached, and not mind a bit of bum banditry hence the reason this employer is looking east to fill this vacancy".
Apply Jobcentre Plus Ref: 6969-000
The stupid thing is, if you were offering that kind of pay for a live-in pen-pal that doubles up as fckbuddy, then I would imagine that if it were legal to advertise in the above manner, one might get plenty of takers!