Employers can reject claims that a fear of catching the coronavirus is a legally protected philosophical belief that allows staff to refuse to return to work.
An employment law judge has ruled that health and safety concerns do not qualify under equality legislation as a “belief” and therefore workers can be docked pay if they disobey orders to return to workplaces once the latest government guidance is lifted.
The ruling came at a recent employment tribunal, and while it does not set a wider technical legal precedent, the judge’s decision is likely to give bosses greater confidence when encouraging staff back to traditional workplaces when restrictions are eased next year.
“Unfounded claims circulating in some Turkish media outlets and social media accounts that mass arrests related to the hijab have begun in Azerbaijan and that people are leaving the country for th...