Bloomberg News (Ankara) - Former employees of Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) in Turkey told parliament and prosecutors that they were discriminated against because of their Islamic religious beliefs, Star newspaper reported.
Workers who lost their jobs at the Japanese carmaker's plant in Sakarya and a Toyota Boshoku Corp. (3116) factory in the same northwestern province told the national assembly's human rights committee that they were asked whether they pray, observe Islamic fasts, consume alcohol or eat pork, according to the Istanbul-based newspaper.
The former employees said that practising Muslims were prevented from praying and given bad performance reviews, Star reported. Committee Chairman Ayhan Sefer Ustun wrote to Akio Toyoda, telling the Toyota president that the allegations are "very serious" and urging him to address the issue right away, the newspaper said.
The press office at Toyota's Turkish headquarters didn't immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment.
