How much longer must we put up with this kind of thing?
A bus driver who was fired for being a member of the BNP has won a long legal battle claiming his dismissal was a breach of his human rights.
Arthur Redfearn, 56, was sacked from his job in Bradford, West Yorkshire, where he drove mainly Asian adults and children with disabilities.
Judges at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ruled today his employer Serco Ltd dismissed him only because of his membership of a political party.
This breaks Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights – the Freedom of Assembly and Association, the chamber of the court ruled.
The seven judges came to this conclusion on a 4-3 majority.
The court said neither passengers or colleagues had complained about Mr Redfearn, who was considered a ‘first-class employee’ before his BNP membership became public knowledge.
‘The Court was struck by the fact that he had been summarily dismissed following complaints about problems which had never actually occurred, without any apparent consideration being given to the possibility of transferring him to a non-customer facing role,’ it added.
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