A West Yorkshire-based sliced meat company, which is looking to double its workforce, is in hot water following a ‘Poles only need apply’ job advertisement.

The Government’s equality watchdog is writing to Cleckheaton-based Forza AW over allegations of discrimination against British job-seekers after the firm advertised for workers who ‘must speak Polish’.

The firm is recruiting staff in East Anglia, where production is focused following a serious blaze which damaged 40 per cent of Forza’s multi-million pound Cleckheaton base on Saturday, February 12.

The offending advert was placed through employment agency OSR Recruitment which read: “Applicants must speak Polish. Please call asap.”

According to reports, one British job-seeker who phoned OSR to inquire about work was first asked if he was Polish and then told: “Actually, you have to be fluent because the health and safety training is all done in Polish.”

Neil Kinghan, director general of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: “Any refusal to register an applicant because of their nationality is unlawful under the Race Relations Act.

“The commission will be writing to Forza AW to ask it to respond to the allegations made against the company and to confirm that it will comply with the Race Relations Act and not discriminate against British, or any other workers on the grounds of their nationality.”

Forza AW director Max Hilliard said the advert was a mistake due to a breakdown in communications between his firm and OSR Recruitment. He said ‘chaos’ following the blaze at Cleckheaton meant the advert was not properly vetted.

Forza is looking to double its workforce to 1,200 since winning a new contract.

Firefighters spent four hours battling to save the Forza plant at the West 26 Industrial Estate in Cleckheaton.

Mr Hilliard said: “We employ many English workers as well as Poles and Lithuanians, though I can’t give you exact figures, and I assure you categorically that all our training and health and safety briefings are conducted in English, Polish or whatever the employee speaks.

“We would never turn down an English person for a job on the basis that they didn’t speak Polish or any other language.”