 |
 |
Dear Darren.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention – as I, at least, had missed it. I don’t often comment on the ADMIN-EO network, but the EHRC position is something all E&D people need to consider I suggest.
Having worked on three major LGBT involvement projects at leading universities in the HE sector, I know with certainty that there are hundreds of gay men and women working in HE who will be aghast at the thought that there could be an ‘accommodation’ in cases such as the Ladele case, where a public servant felt able to choose and discriminate about which parts of the public deserved service or not. For LGBT people, there is often a fear, that I share, that various religious groups are ‘out to get us’ and it’s not paranoia!
The linked EHRC news item is vague on details but is worrying enough for me to have sent this directly to Ben Summerskill at Stonewall. Hopefully he, and they, are already in contact with EHRC on this matter.
Regards.
JOHN McLELLAN
Independent consultant (HE and Health sectors)
Tel: 07850 690038.
From: HE Administrators equal opportunities list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mooney, Darren
Sent: 12 July 2011 13:51
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Reasonable Acommodation of religious beliefs
Dear All
I was wondering if anybody else had seen this press release from the EHRC about intervening in the cases of Nadia Eweida & Shirley Chaplin and Lillian Ladele and Gary McFarlane
The commission seems to be advocating a ‘reasonable accommodation’ approach (similar to reasonable adjustments) for religious beliefs. In my opinion the current law and approach already allows for accommodation where required, but allows an organisation to justify certain decisions such as dress codes, time off for religious observance, contract conditions etc . To adopt a requirement to reasonable accommodate all religious and philosophical belief systems may be more problematic than helpful.
Any other thoughts?
Darren
Darren Mooney BSc, MA
Diversity & Equality Officer
Human Resources
University of Liverpool
Liverpool
L3 5TQ
T: 0151 795 5975
W: http://www.liv.ac.uk/hr/diversity_equality/
BAME Staff Network: [log in to unmask]
Disabled Staff Network: [log in to unmask]
LGBT Staff Network: [log in to unmask]
