A tribunal judge has ruled that belief in a homeopathic lifestyle and bodily autonomy is a “protected characteristic” under the Equality Act in an unfair dismissal case for a former ambulance operations manager who lost his job for declining the COVID-19 vaccines.
Paul Bailey, who worked for the NHS for five years, was dismissed in December 2021 after he chose not to receive the jabs. He is represented in his tribunal hearing by the Workers of England Union (WEU) and solicitor Robin Tilbrook.
Both the union and Mr. Tilbrook expect Mr. Bailey to win his case against the West Midlands Ambulance Service for unfair dismissal following the Trotman ruling, which revealed that it was never legally mandated for workers to take the vaccines to retain their jobs, thus rendering all such dismissals potentially unlawful.
The preliminary hearing for Mr. Bailey’s tribunal, where he claims unfair dismissal and discrimination, determined that his discrimination claim is admissible. His beliefs, akin to religious or “gender critical” views, are deemed a protected characteristic.
