Lest we forget

A furore arose in Ottawa, Canada last week when it was reported that the American grocery chain Whole Foods Market Inc, now owned by Amazon, had banned its employees from wearing poppies to work. This time of the year more than any other, the poppy, the symbol of remembrance, is widely visible, particularly in Commonwealth countries.

Whole Foods has since reversed the ban in the face of total disapproval of its action from Canadian government ministers as well as members of the public, some of whom had immediately called for a boycott of Whole Foods Canada. The grocery chain had stated that its uniform consisted of an apron, coat or vest, a hat and name badge and that its recently updated dress code policy was intended to create consistency and safety in its 14 stores across Canada. A poppy, it added, did not comply with that policy. Of course, that poppycock did not fly. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Veterans Minister Lawrence MacAulay, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford were among those who weighed in on the issue, forcing Whole Foods to back down.

Remembrance Day or Armistice Day is commemorated today, November 11. Originally set aside to mark the end of World War One at 11 am on November 11 (11:11:11) in 1918, the anniversary is now used to remember all who have died in all wars around the world. In many countries, the observance has been moved to the Sunday closest to November 11. Wreath-laying and other ceremonies are held at war memorials, cenotaphs, and in churches, and two minutes of silence are observed. In some other places, including the Cayman Islands, Canada, France, and Bermuda, it is a non-mandatory public or statutory or federal holiday. In the United States, it was renamed Veteran’s Day in 1954. America actually commemorates its war dead on Memorial Day, which is the last Monday in May and has done so since the 19th century.

In the days leading up to Remembrance Day, also known as Poppy Day, veterans’ organisations around the globe produce and distribute millions of poppies, which are worn by men, women, and children. Even schools with strict uniform adherence policies allow students to wear poppies during this period. The money donated to these organisations in exchange for the poppies is used to help retired servicemen and women whose lives were affected by war.

Never typified as political, military, or nationalistic, the poppy is used as a commemorative symbol because the flower reportedly grew among the graves where those killed in World War One were buried. It was thus hailed in the famous 1915 poem, “In Flanders Fields”, which coincidentally was written by Canadian military doctor and artillery commander Major John McCrae. This makes the Whole Foods’ attempt to outlaw it among its Canadian employees that much more repugnant. According to Canadian Broadcasting Corporation News, an employee of Whole Foods in Ottawa was told by a supervisor that wearing a poppy would be seen as supporting a cause and could force the company to open up to other causes. And when contacted for a statement, Whole Foods had trotted out its lame statement on uniform policy. As it sought to recover from the instant backlash issued by usually otherwise calm Canadians, which included one woman purchasing 200 poppies, driving to a Whole Foods store and handing them out outside, the grocery chain said its “intention was never to single out the poppy or to suggest a lack of support for Remembrance Day and the heroes who have bravely served their country. Given the learnings of today, we are welcoming team members to wear the poppy pin.” The store also claimed that it had already planned to observe a moment of silence and make a donation to the Royal Canadian Legion’s poppy fund.

This is not the first time Whole Foods has shown its slip. Earlier this year, several employees of its stores in the US had protested after they were sent home or written up for wearing Black Lives Matter (BLM) face masks to work. The company had claimed the same dress code policy and was subsequently hit with a lawsuit initiated by 14 of its workers claiming racial discrimination and retaliation. The suit included parent company Amazon, whose founder Jeff Bezos had, around the same time, publicly supported BLM. Amazon had also announced that it would donate US$10 million to social justice organizations.

So, is this a case of corporate schizophrenia? Is Whole Foods simply pushing to see how far it would be allowed to go? Or is this a case of ‘wokewashing’? This not-so-newly-minted phrase refers to companies who burnish their optics by jumping on bandwagons which make them appear to be fair as well as socially and culturally conscious, while continuing to figuratively kneel on the necks of employees.

Lest we forget, a phrase associated with Remembrance Day, but which has its origins in the poem written by Rudyard Kipling and used to commentate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897, the difference between success and failure of particularly retail companies lies in the hands of consumers. It is power that is rarely used, yet if wielded effectively could really force companies towards transparency and compliance with labour laws.