A vicar who suffered “years of hate” has lost his court of appeal case concerning his right to bring an action for unfair dismissal at an employment tribunal after it was deemed by a court that he was employed by God.
Reverend Mark Sharpe, claimed that he was forced out of his parish after having his tyres slashed, his post tampered with and the family dog poisoned in what he deems an attempt to remove him.
Unfair Dismissal
The reverend brought an unfair dismissal claim against the Church of England stating that he should have been warned, however, his claim and appeal was thrown out after a court ruled that he was not employed by the Church but was working for God.
Three judges ruled that as he was “employed by God” he was unable to bring a case forward despite the claim being contested by the reverend.
Backed By Trade Union
Rev Mark Sharpe had his claim backed by the trade union Unite, who saw the landmark case as being a way to get all faith workers being given “basic employment rights".
A Unite spokesman said: "This judgment has serious ramifications for faith workers in accepting that aspects of the law of the land don't cover the church.
"We will be considering the judgment fully and deciding on our next steps over the coming days."
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