Discrimination against Catholics is rife in the workplace and especially in the public sector, a new study has found.
A survey conducted by the Catholic Union said that religious freedom was a “blind spot” for employers actively mistreating and discriminating against people because of their faith.
In a poll of 222 members and supporters, almost a third of respondents (31 per cent) said they had felt disadvantaged at work because of their faith.
Almost three quarters of these instances (73 per cent) occurred in the public sector, the survey revealed.
The survey was carried out to gather evidence to a Parliamentary inquiry into human rights at work, which includes a section on freedom of religion and expression.
The Catholic Union’s survey highlighted particular problems in hospitals, universities and the police.
One lay chaplain in an NHS hospital spoke of a “pathological closing down” of chaplaincy work, while another respondent was subject to a formal complaint for saying “God bless” to a patient.
Discrimination was also reported in the arts sector where “people are ‘cancelled’ if they are even suspected to adhere to the teachings of the Catholic Church”, according to one respondent to the survey.
People who work shifts reported problems with being able to attend Mass with one respondent being “refused work due to Sunday obligations”. Another person said: “I do not feel comfortable wearing a cross at work”.
Lord Alton of Liverpool, a crossbench peer and a Catholic who sits on the Joint Committee on Human Rights, said: “People of all faiths should not be expected to shed or conceal an essential part of who they are when they go to their place of work.
“This is not only a point of principle: there are clear legal requirements around religious freedom as set out by the European Convention Human Rights, in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and elsewhere.
“We are getting better at removing discrimination at work on the basis of race, sex, orientation, and disability, but there is still a blind spot when it comes to religion.”
He added: “I will be encouraging my fellow committee members to consider the questions around freedom of expression in the workplace extremely seriously.
“Religious freedom is so often the canary in the mine for many of the freedoms we enjoy.
“Ignore discrimination or prejudice and it readily morphs into persecution and, then, in some parts of the world, into appalling crimes against humanity. We all lose out if religious freedom is eroded.”
Nigel Parker, Catholic Union director, said: “The results of our survey reflect what many of us have known and felt for a long time – that it is increasingly difficult to be a faithful and open Catholic in many workplaces in this country.
“Some of the comments were truly shocking and should be a wakeup call to those responsible for upholding human rights at work.
“If people did not take part in our survey but have experiences they want to share then there is still time to submit evidence to the Committee directly. We encourage as many lay Catholics as possible to have their say.”
Elsewhere, the survey found that 48 per cent of respondents said they did not feel able to talk about their faith openly with colleagues.
It found that 41 per cent of respondents did not believe religious discrimination was taken as seriously as discrimination against other protected characteristics such as age, race, sex, and sexuality, and that 55 per cent of respondents thought that Christianity was treated less favourably than other religions in their place of work.
The Catholic Union has submitted to the survey results with the Joint Committee on Human Rights as part of its evidence to the inquiry on workplace discrimination.
The deadline for submitting evidence has been extended until 13 April, and the Catholic Union is encouraging other Catholic groups and individuals to take part.
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