Sacked | Worker's sacking over crucifix necklace shows how easily employment laws can be broken

An employee who was sacked for refusing to remove their crucifix necklace at work has been awarded more than £22,000, after an employment tribunal ruled that the firing amounted to religious discrimination.

Jevgenijs Kovalkovs had his employment with 2 Sisters Food Group terminated after rejecting boss’s demands for him to remove the cross because it had a “deep and profound meaning” and demonstrated a “commitment to his belief”.

An employment tribunal heard that Kovalkovs, who worked as a quality inspector at the firm’s factory in Scotland, was told the necklace was a health and safety hazard, but he remained committed to his view that the necklace formed part of his identity as a member of the Russian Orthodox Church.

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Following this, a meeting with HR was scheduled, during which Kovalkovs was told that his employment was being terminated for refusing to obey a management instruction. As he was still within his probationary period, he was sacked on the spot.