A Christian nurse, who was moved to a desk job by her employers because she refused to remove a crucifix, has lost her discrimination case.
Shirley Chaplin, who worked at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospitals NHS Trust, claimed her employer was preventing her from expressing her religious beliefs, but the tribunal ruled her employer had behaved in a reasonable manner.
The tribunal stated that wearing a crucifix is not mandatory for Christians, and therefore does not have to be accommadated by the employer. The tribunal then moved on to say that the hospital had acted reasonably by moving Mrs Chaplin from ward duty to a desk job.
The hospital cited Health and Safety concerns to justify moving Mrs Chaplin to a new role. This followed a risk assessment showing that the crucifix could be pulled by a patient. She has worn the crucifix on the ward for over 30 years with no problems. The hospital had offered her compromises such as pinning the crucifix to her uniform.
The tribunal also noted that the hospital had dealt with other situations relating to faith in a similar fashion. For example, ordering Sikhs to remove bangles and Muslim doctors to switch to tight-fitting sports hijabs.
Mrs Chaplin said it was “a very bad day for Christianity” and she still intends to wear the crucifix to work.
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