Vegan Judgement
Employers today have to be aware of risk of discrimination against employees in a range of areas and now another may be added.
An Employment tribunal is to decide whether veganism is a “philosophical belief” akin to a religion, in a landmark legal action.It stems from the dismissal of an employee who has claimed that his veganism was the cause of his dismissal. The tribunal will decide whether or not it should be added to existing “protected characteristics.”
Religion or belief is one of nine “protected characteristics” covered by the Equality Act 2010.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equality-act-2010-guidance
The others, all ranked equally, are:
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment
- marriage and civil partnership
- pregnancy and maternity
- race
- gender
- sexual orientation
It is unlawful for an employer to discriminate directly, by treating an employee less favourably than others because of their religion or belief.