The Church of England should wake up and smell the coffee over its ‘medieval attitude’ to employment rights, Unite, the largest union in the country, said today.
Unite said that a landmark ruling, allowing a female Methodist minister to bring a case for unfair dismissal, should be a warning shot across the bows of the Church of England and other religious faiths that don’t recognise current employment legislation.
Unite, which has 2,500 faith worker members, said the employment appeal tribunal (EAT) ruling that Redruth minister Haley Moore was an employee under the Employment Rights Act was ‘a significant step forward’.
Ms Moore can now take action against her former employer, the president of the Methodist Conference.
Unite national officer Rachael Maskell said: ”This case exposes the medieval attitude to employment law adopted by the hierarchies of various denominations in this country. They need to wake up and smell the coffee. The steps that Ms Moore has taken have really opened the door for all ministers of religion.
”This is an EAT decision, so it is legally binding. It is time that the church stops resisting its ministers having employment rights, and wasting congregations’ money on legal cases.
”Church authorities should get on with implementing good employment practices which treat ministers of religion with dignity and respect, and ensure that they have access to justice and independent restitution.”