Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Equality, diversity and inclusionReligious discriminationOpinion

Have a rant: Hot under the collar about cross row

by Personnel Today 5 Dec 2006
by Personnel Today 5 Dec 2006

Am I the only person who feels a twinge of sadness that British Airways (BA) caved in on the issue of Nadia Eweida’s cross? I detect no sympathy for ‘The World’s Favourite Airline’.


Admittedly, under the law, its position was inconsistent, and undeniably it handled the issue clumsily. But I was rooting for the employer to stand firm and say ‘enough’.


Enough with the hectoring. Enough with the moralising. Enough with the political correctness.


BA has a difficult business to run. And frankly, if it wants its customer-facing staff to be free of religious trinkets, then it should have the right to impose the policy.


I come to work to work, not to advertise my beliefs. Equally, I don’t expect to be ‘sold’ other people’s lifestyle choices – I have respect for anyone’s deeply held convictions, but the workplace is not the place for sharing them.


The situation is about to get more complicated. The scope of the Religious Discrimination Regulations 2003, which govern what an employer can do in these circumstances, is about to be widened. From 6 April 2007, it will be extended to include any “genuine philosophical belief, including political belief”.


It’s a mischief maker’s charter. Now can you see why BA was so intent on enforcing its dress code? From next spring, Ms Eweida’s colleagues will be sporting party political rosettes and ‘I’d rather go naked than wear fur’ badges.


And don’t think it won’t happen – the British workforce has form. When Sikh men first ventured into work wearing turbans, their workmates took to wearing hats to highlight their own ‘rights to headgear’.


Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Predictably, the most depressing episode of the whole cross saga was Tony Blair’s intervention – saying BA was “wasting energy” on the issue. Perhaps if his government wasn’t rubber-stamping unworkable employment law, companies wouldn’t have to look stupid trying to comply with it.





 

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

previous post
Deadline passes for public sector employers to implement disability rights schemes
next post
Heyday confident it will win its judicial review of age regulations

You may also like

One in eight senior NHS managers from black...

1 Jul 2025

Progressive DEI policy is a red line for...

27 Jun 2025

BBC Breakfast bullying and misconduct allegations under investigation

20 Jun 2025

Barts nurse told to remove watermelon image claims...

19 Jun 2025

Finance professionals expect less emphasis on ESG and...

18 Jun 2025

Lack of role models a ‘barrier’ for people...

17 Jun 2025

Pride 2025: why corporate allyship still matters

16 Jun 2025

HR is second ‘most sexist profession’ survey suggests

13 Jun 2025

Workplace disputes: ‘Most employment tribunals could be avoided’

12 Jun 2025

Racism claims have tripled and ‘Equality Act is...

12 Jun 2025

  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+