A Christian factory worker earned more than £ 22,000 for religious discrimination after he was fired for refusing to remove a crucifix necklace.
Evgeny Kovalkov said that wearing the cross, which was a gift from his mother, close to his chest, means “devotion to his faith.”
However, he was asked to remove him from his immediate manager, as she considered it a “danger” in the chicken wholesalers where he works, he heard from a labor tribunal.
Mr Kovalkov, a member of the Russian Orthodox Church, was later seen carrying it back to the factory, but refused to remove the jewelery, which had “deep and profound significance” for him.
He was then fired on the spot for disobeying orders. He is suing the company and has now been awarded £ 22,074.68 after the tribunal found the policy and its implementation to be “indirectly discriminatory”.
Employment ended “immediately”
At the hearing, it was said that Mr. Kovalkov joined 2 Sisters Food Group Limited in Coupar Angus, Scotland in November 2019 and was quickly promoted to Quality Inspector.
At the hearing in Dundee, it was heard that Mr. Kovalkov was wearing the silver necklace, which has 30 small ties, every day and that it was lit during his godfather’s baptism ceremony.
However, the company’s policy on the control of foreign bodies states: “Jewelry should not be worn in production areas on site, except for a ring with a single plan.”
An additional exception was made for religious jewelry subject to “risk assessment”, the panel heard.
On the first day of his promotion in December 2019, his line manager, listed in the tribunal’s decision only as Ms. McCall, noticed the necklace and told him to take it off, which he did.
However, she did not assess the risk, as she believes the problem is solved, the committee heard.
Mr Kovalkov then complained that he had been harassed at work and had been brought in for a meeting with another manager in January 2020, where he was wearing the necklace.
He was asked to remove it and was then questioned whether a risk assessment had been carried out, which he said was not, the tribunal said.
His immediate manager is said to be “upset” that the issue has been raised with her own boss, but has completed the risk assessment.
Mr Kovalkov returned to work before being told to go and talk to Ms McCall, who concluded that it should be removed because it contained links and could become entangled or entangled, the hearing said.
Then she told him to take him down. However, he refused and was sent to HR. He was told that because he had not followed the instructions of the management and was on probation, his work was terminated “immediately”.
The commission found that his dismissal focused “entirely” on the fact that Mr Kovalkov did not declare the necklace during his introductory course when he joined the company.
Supporting his demands, employment judge Louise Cowen concluded that it was clear that Mr Kovalkov had “lost his job as a result of discrimination against him”.
She added: “His religion and wearing his necklace had a deep and profound meaning for him.”
In 2013, a British Airways employee won a remarkable court battle to wear a crucifix at work.
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