Cross victory
A Christian van driver who was facing possible disciplinary action has been allowed to keep his job — and his cross.
Colin Atkinson, who works for housing association Wakefield District Housing (WDH), was facing dismissal before Easter over a row that escalated over a small palm cross.
For the entire 15 years he worked at WDH he had discreetly displayed this cross on the glove compartment of his van. Yet following one isolated complaint from a WDH tenant, who suggested that the cross might offend other faiths, Mr Atkinson was subjected to great pressure to remove the cross from his van.
When he refused, he was investigated for his alleged failure to comply. After he was told to remove his cross, WDH then introduced a policy banning personal items from vans — despite other WDH employees being able to have religious symbols in their vans or on their person.
The story broke in the Mail on Sunday and generated a show of public support for Mr Atkinson and, supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Mr Atkinson took on his employer by stressing his right to express his faith this way.
He hailed his employer’s decision to drop the charge as ‘common sense’ and thanked the CLC for its advice and support.
