A Christian nurse who was moved to a desk job after refusing to remove her crucifix has lost a claim for discrimination. Shirley Chaplin, 54, took the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust Hospital to an employment tribunal, claiming that taking off a necklace bearing a crucifix would "violate her faith".
The trust said the move was not specifically about the crucifix, but about health and safety concerns about patients grabbing necklaces.
Employment tribunal panel chairman John Hollow found against Mrs Chaplin, who had worn the emblem throughout her 30 years as a nurse.
Mr Hollow ruled the trust had acted in a "reasonable" manner in trying to reach a compromise.
He said the damage to her was "slight" and noted that wearing a crucifix was not a requirement of the Christian faith.
In a 71-point statement, Mrs Chaplin, who wore the crucifix to the hearing in her home city of Exeter, said she was "personally convicted" to wear the emblem, given to her as a confirmation gift in 1971.
She said: "I have been a nurse for roughly 30 years and throughout that time I have worn my crucifix. The crucifix is an exceptionally important expression of my faith and my belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. To deliberately remove or hide my crucifix or to treat it disrespectfully would violate my faith."
Last July, she was told she was facing a "disciplinary sanction". In August she was threatened with formal disciplinary action.
She said she received a letter in September telling her the cross was not a "mandatory requirement" of her faith, unlike Muslim headscarves, which "therefore could be exempted".
She said: "I view this as a clear discrimination against Christians. The respondent (the trust) clearly regarded themselves as experts on religious manifestations of all faiths."
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