Worker wins 'Christian only' case

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A care service manager who resigned from a charity in protest at an alleged "Christian-only" recruitment policy has won his constructive dismissal case.

Mark Sheridan, 56, from Conwy, north Wales left Prospects, which works with adults with learning disabilities, after eight years in January 2006.

After a tribunal held last December the panel unanimously agreed Mr Sheridan had been discriminated against.

He welcomed the result but Prospects, based in Reading, declined to comment.

Mr Sheridan said: "I am really very pleased with this result.

"When I worked for Prospects I felt that what they were doing was wrong.

"Winning this case now, justifies my claim."

Landmark case

Mr Sheridan, who worked for the charity in Conwy for eight years, told the employment tribunal that workers were expected to promote the Christian ethos.

He resigned twice in four months, withdrawing his resignation the first time before finally resigning in January 2006.

But the tribunal in Conwy heard he did not mention his reasons for leaving in his resignation letter.

The British Humanist Association (BHA) paid Mr Sheridan's legal costs, and the organisation described it as a "landmark " case.

BHA chief executive Hanne Stinson said the tribunal's decision would "undoubtedly have far-reaching repercussions for religious employers, as faith-based organisations will have to be much more stringent when they wish to discriminate on grounds of religion or belief in employment."

James Boddy, Mr Sheridan's counsel during the tribunal hearing, added: "This is an important decision because it is the first time an employment tribunal has been called on to decide the extent to which an organisation with a religious ethos is allowed to discriminate on grounds of religion or belief."

Solicitor for Prospects, Katharina Kidd, said she would be meeting her clients and counsel next week to discuss the possibility of an appeal.