Scotland: Legal win for Orthodox factory worker fired for refusing to move cross necklace

Dundee, Scotland, July 14, 2022

Photo: malevich.evo.run Photo: malevich.evo.run Jevgenijs Kovalkovs was a victim of religious discrimination when he was fired from his factory job for refusing to remove his cross necklace, a Scottish court ruled last month.

Kovalkovs is a parishioner of the Russian Orthodox Church and a former employee of the chicken wholesaler 2 Sisters Food Group Limited.

Asked to remove his cross as a potential hazard at the factory, the Orthodox Christian objected, saying it was a gift from his mother signifying his “commitment to his belief.”

Kovalkovs was fired on the spot for disobeying orders, The Telegraph reports.

But the court in Dundee ruled the policy and its application were “indirectly discriminatory” and awarded Kovalkovs £22,074.68 ($26,172).

Employment Judge Louise Cowen concluded that it was clear Mr Kovalkovs “had lost a job as a result of the discrimination towards him,” and that “His religion and the wearing of his necklace were of deep and profound meaning to him.”

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7/14/2022

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Comments
Afanassy7/15/2022 1:01 am
This may not be as discriminatory as it sounds, and Judge Luise, while having a good heart in the matter, may have overlooked something. There are standards for clothing, shoes, and facial/head hair for factory employees who work on assembly lines or with other dangerous or fast-moving equipment. I was asked to cut my beard, for example: I refused and was given an exemption because, ironically, it was long enough to be tucked safely inside my shirt, under factory overalls. So, could Mr Kovalkovs have done the same thing? Is there anything stopping him from taking it out for lunch breaks? And if a Muslim lady, with long, flowing burka or hajib, were allowed to work an assembly line, would that clothing be approved by Judge Louise too? I'm afraid I must side with the employer in this: some types of external wear, religious or otherwise, can simply be too dangerous for certain jobs, and must be removed, modified, or contained. ===================
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