Boss Prosecuted for Prejudice against Worker’s Beliefs
Joe Hashman a gardener claimed that his boss, Orchard Park, took away his job from him because of his beliefs. He took the case to the Southampton Employment Tribunal.
Hashman had a job at the Orchard Park Garden Centre ever since March 25 2009. Richard C, his Garden Centre Manager asked him to stop coming for work on the 2 September 2009, stating that many problems had cropped up.
Hashman was bewildered, as there were suppositions that he would be a part of the Orchard Park for a long time and there were no scorns for his job at all. He could not figure out why his job would end so abruptly, that too in such a manner. He then contemplated that his beliefs of animal rights may be the reason.
A first of its kind judgement has recognized that Hashman is right in alleging that there was a prejudice against him for his beliefs against fox hunting. This was the primary case to take into consideration, if the beliefs in the sacrosanct life and especially the beliefs on anti - hunting come under the Employemnt Regulations on Equality based on Religion and Belief of 2003, which aims to fight for people with real idealistic beliefs against prejudice.
On January 10 2011, a trial at the Tribunal decided that belief in the sacrosanct life regarding Hashman’s passionate anti-foxing belief as well as beliefs on anti - hare coursing forms an idealistic belief for the reasons of the Employment Regulations on Equality based on Religion and Belief of 2003.
Most recently, two Lay Judges and an Employment Judge jointly declared that Hashman faced prejudice because of his beliefs and that there was infringement of the regulations.
For anyone involved in human resources management, training and development, the Chartered Institute of Professional Development is the body to refer to. Organisations can keep up to date with employment relations developments with CIPD Training to help to set their own organisation’s policies and procedures in context and develop the skills needed in employment practice.