Lunatic madness, says MEP

Paul Nuttall, UKIP’s Deputy Leader

Controversial rules forcing employers to accommodate the beliefs of their workers, including vegans, druids and even athiests, have been described as “madness” by local MEP Paul Nuttall.

Under guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission the right to have off important days in their religious calendar will now not apply just to Christians, Jews and Muslims. Employers will also have to consider important days on the calendars of druids, pagans, Zoroastrians and even atheists.

Druids could get days off to celebrate the solstice at Stonehenge and bosses must consider alternatives to leather chairs for vegans. In the food industry vegans could ask not to handle dairy or meat products and vegetarians would be able to refuse to clean out a fridge if it had contained meat.

“Putting major religions such as Christianity on the same par as veganism is just madness,” said Mr Nuttall, UKIP Deputy Leader.

“At a time of mass unemployment, to create a sanctimonious whingers’ charter, underpinned by European law is a lunatic outrage.

“It’ll just ramp up costs and clog up employment tribunals. It looks like this Euro quango is just trying to create bad feeling and invent work for itself.

“Employers would have to take seriously requests by people to observe religious customs, such as daily prayers for Muslims and the Sabbath for Jews. British industry could pay a heavy price in lost working days,” he said.

The new guidance follows a series of rulings by the European Court of Human Rights, including the landmark judgment that saw British Airways clerk Nadia Eweida win the right to wear a cross at work after a six-year battle.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission said though the cases were brought by Christians “the implications of the judgment apply to employees with any religion or belief, or none”.

The guidance asks employers to “review policies to ensure they do not unjustifiably discriminate against an employee who requests a change due to a particular belief”.

Employers will be able to ignore requests only “when they reasonably conclude that the belief is not sincere.”