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British Employment Tribunal Upholds Wrongful Dismissal Claim of Counsellor

By Howard M. Friedman

In Britain, Bristol's Employment Tribunal handed down a decision on Wednesday that upheld a "wrongful dismissal" claim brought by a former church elder against the non-profit counselling service, Relate. However the Tribunal rejected his religious discrimination and "unfair dismissal" claims. This Is Bristol reported Thursday on the case in which counsellor Gary McFarlane told his supervisor at Relate that he could not give gay couples intimate sexual advice, because his religious views taught him that homosexual activity was contrary to Biblical teachings. However, McFarlane was willing to provide relational counselling that focused more on emotional issues. McFarlane was suspended in October 2007 but reinstated in January 2008 after he agreed to follow the charity's equal opportunities policy. When he returned, fellow employees called him homophobic and pressed for his dismissal, which came in March 2008.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on January 10, 2009 (boomark / email).