There’s been huge publicity surrounding the case against British ski instructor and tour operator Simon Butler who was today found guilty of teaching without the correct qualifications in Megève, France.
He will be disappointed at the verdict but this isn’t the end of the story as Butler has already said he will appeal. The case will be tried at a higher court and could go all the way to Brussels for a debate on the finer points of EU employment law before a final decision is made.
Many will be quick to attack the verdict as a protectionist move against the Brits. It was a line taken by many, including London mayor Boris Johnsonand UKIP, when Butler and six of his instructors were arrested in February for allegedly teaching illegally, interrogated in the local police station and, in Butler’s case, spent the night in custody.
However tempting it might be to believe this is the French having a go at an historical foe, let’s not be overly sensitive. They are simply enforcing the law in France as they see it, and whether the alleged culprit was English, Spanish or Italian, they would have acted the same way.
In the eyes of the French, Butler is a serial offender having been taken to court in 2004, fined €10,000 and told he could no longer practice in France. In 2013 he received another sentence against which he appealed against. Today’s court ruling says Butler does not hold the appropriate qualification and, subsequently, has been flouting French law. He denies this and says the French authorities are not complying with EU Law on the free movement of labour.
Butler may have won the support of UKIP and the mayor in this legal battle but not the support of BASI. Following his arrest in February it issued a statement saying "BASI will not support behaviour that BASI understands to be illegal in France or any other country where members chose to work.
Taken from the Telegraph
BASI by the way does not support him and BASI stands for British Assoc. of Snowsports Instructors
Taken from the Telegraph
BASI by the way does not support him and BASI stands for British Assoc. of Snowsports Instructors
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