An evangelical Christian relationship counsellor who refused to offer therapy to gay couples has lost his unfair dismissal appeal.
Gary McFarlane, 47, from Bristol, worked for the publicly-funded national counselling service Relate and was sacked last year after he said he could not do anything to promote gay sex and "encourage sin."
After being fired, Mr. McFarlane lodged a claim for unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal, and religious discrimination against Relate for failing to accommodate his faith or allow him to try to overcome his reservations.
Relate admitted wrongful dismissal for failing to provide a proper notice period. But the employment tribunal rejected Mr. McFarlane's claims of unfair dismissal and religious discrimination. Mr. McFarlane then appealed to an Employment Appeals Tribunal.
Responding to the decision, Relate chief executive Claire Tyler said:
"The appeal judgement validates Relate's commitment to equality of access to our services.
"Relate's trusted service, both in Avon and across the country, relies on making sure that all members of society, regardless of their gender, age, race, religion, sexual orientation or relationship status, are able to access respectful and professional counselling and sex therapy.
"Relate is committed to supporting all religious beliefs working within Relate.
"However, our primary consideration is to our clients who often need complex advice and assistance.
"We cannot allow anything to damage our clients, or to undermine the principle of trust that underpins our work."
What is wrongful dismissal?
Wrongful dismissal arises when an employer breaches a term of a contract of employment, which results in dismissal or forces an employee to leave.
Certain terms are automatically imposed into our employment contracts by operation of law. For example, the duty to to comply with statutory disciplinary or grievance procedures. Where an employer breaches these terms, it may be liable for wrongful dismissal.
An employer may only dismiss an employee without notice - summary dismissal - if the employee commits a serious breach of the contract, for example assaulting a colleague.
It is worth noting that dismissal can be both wrongful and unfair: for wrongful dismissal, however, there is no service qualification period for making a claim (unlike unfair dismissal). Note also, that any money received for unfair dismissal will usually be cancelled out by the amount received for wrongful dismissal, and vice versa, to stop the employee receiving double compensation.
Additional Information & Advice
You can obtain further information about wrongful dismissal, unfair dismissal, and religious discrimination on FindLaw.
Depending on the circumstances of your case, however, it may be better to speak with a solicitor who specialises in employment law. You can be matched with a solicitor in your area for free via solicitor matching services, which can also help you to understand the best course of action for your situation and whether you are ready to hire a solicitor.
