{"id":4899,"date":"2016-09-27T20:07:22","date_gmt":"2016-09-27T20:07:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplylaw.waydevelopers.com\/england-wales\/wiki\/protected-belief-in-harron-v-dorset-police-authority\/"},"modified":"2023-11-04T13:12:06","modified_gmt":"2023-11-04T13:12:06","slug":"protected-belief-in-harron-v-dorset-police-authority","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/simply.law\/england-wales\/articles\/protected-belief-in-harron-v-dorset-police-authority\/","title":{"rendered":"Believe it or not"},"content":{"rendered":"

There have been a number of surprising decisions over the past few years on the subject of what may constitute a protected belief under the Equality Act. In the latest of these cases, the EAT held that a profound belief in the proper and efficient use of public money in the public sector was potentially capable of being a protected belief.<\/span><\/p>\n

Background<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Under the Equality Act 2010, workers and job applicants are protected from discrimination because of religion and belief \u2013 whether their own or someone else\u2019s. Religious discrimination is usually easy to identify and avoid; however, where someone has a strongly held philosophical belief which impacts on the workplace, the risk of discrimination is less easy to manage.<\/span><\/p>\n

The problem is that the scope of what can constitute a protected belief is extremely wide. Tribunals have held that a political belief in “democratic socialism”, as enshrined by the Labour Party’s core values, a belief in environmentalism and climate change, a belief in the sanctity of life, extending to a fervent anti-fox hunting and anti-hare coursing belief, a belief in the “higher purpose” of public service broadcasting to encourage debate and citizenship in a public space, a belief that public service and the need to engender in others a desire and commitment to serve the community for the common good, a belief that “it is wrong to lie under any circumstances”, and a belief in spiritualism, life after death and the ability of mediums to contact the dead are all beliefs capable of falling within the protection afforded by the Equality Act.<\/span><\/p>\n

The key components for protection (as set out by the EAT in the case of Grainger Plc v Nicholson<\/em>) are that the belief is genuinely held, it is a belief rather than a mere opinion, it must relate to a weighty and substantial aspect of human life and behaviour and attain a certain level of cogency, seriousness, cohesion and importance, and it must be worthy of respect in a democratic society.<\/span><\/p>\n

Facts<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In the case of Harron v Dorset Police Authority<\/em>, the claimant, a Wide Load Clerk who suffers from bipolar disorder and OCD, met with his line manager on a regular basis to discuss his frustrations about his employer\u2019s waste of public money and a lack of support from the personnel department.\u00a0 He also wrote to his employer on several occasions to make suggestions as to how public money could be saved. He met with a negative response to his concerns and alleged discrimination. At the time of the Tribunal proceedings, the claimant was on long-term sick leave.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a preliminary issue, the Employment Tribunal was asked to consider whether the claimant\u2019s belief in the proper and efficient use of public money in the public sector was potentially capable of being a protected belief. The Tribunal found that it was not on the basis that it lacked the status and cogency of a religious belief and was little more than a set of values which manifested themselves as an objective principally operating in the workplace. The Tribunal also noted the possibility of a link between the claimant\u2019s mental illness and the way he expressed his belief in the workplace, although it did not make any finding about<\/g> that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

EAT Decision<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The EAT, however, found the Tribunal\u2019s reasoning unsatisfactory and held that there was nothing about the claimant\u2019s belief which prohibited it from being a protected philosophical belief.\u00a0 The Tribunal had potentially set the bar too high. The EAT sent the case back to the Tribunal to reconsider its decision.<\/span><\/p>\n

The EAT has provided sufficient guidance about the correct approach to take to enable the Tribunal to reach the same conclusion on a more soundly reasoned basis so it is highly unlikely that the claimant in this case<\/g> will get any further with his allegations of discrimination. However, the case demonstrates the risks for employers who are faced with employees who express or act on strongly held views in the workplace. The key is to ensure that such employees, who may often present as troublemakers or be people with mental health problems, are not treated less favourably than their quieter colleagues when it comes to performance, disciplinary or other issues, and that grievances are dealt with objectively and fairly.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Harron v Dorset Police Authority [2016] UKEAT 0234\/15<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The case of Harron v Dorset Police Authority illustrates what the ETA can consider a protected belief under the Equality Act.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7975,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[12331,12329],"tags":[8541,8514,11541,11542,11543],"class_list":{"0":"post-4899","1":"articles","2":"type-articles","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-employment-law-for-employees","8":"category-employment-law-for-employers","9":"tag-employment-tribunal","10":"tag-equality-act-2010","11":"tag-harron-v-dorset-police-authority","12":"tag-protected-belief","13":"tag-religious-discrimination"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBelieve it or not - Simply Law England Wales<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\""Explore our comprehensive collection of legal articles covering various topics to help you navigate the complexities of the law. 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