Worker faces sack over cross in van

hi just seen this on the propaganda msn dissinfo sight.......



An electrician and former soldier faces the sack for placing a small palm cross on the dashboard of his company van.

Bosses at the housing association where he has worked for 15 years have asked Colin Atkinson to remove the religious symbol because it could offend tenants.

But the 64-year-old has refused to comply with their demands and now the long-serving employee may be forced to attend a disciplinary hearing.

His company, publicly funded Wakefield and District Housing (WDH) - which claims to be a neutral organisation and "among the top 10 employers in the area" - has said allowing a cross would be showing favour to Christianity.

"I'm really shocked and surprised by all of this," Mr Atkinson said. "I have always had that cross in my van. It's a symbol of my personal faith. It's not offensive. It's in a discreet place and I am acting lawfully."

The Wakefield-based not-for-profit organisation launched an investigation after it received a written complaint from a tenant relating to the eight-inch cross made from woven palm leaves.

Mr Atkinson could now lose his job over his alleged failure to comply with company policy which prohibits employees from displaying personal items in the firm's vehicles.

Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of the Christian Legal Centre which is supporting his position, hit out at what she termed an "illiberal" and "remarkably intolerant" request.

"Colin Atkinson is a decent and hard-working man, yet after many years of service he has been told that he cannot continue to have a small palm cross in his van," she said. "This smacks of something deeply illiberal and remarkably intolerant. Freedom of expression now needs to be robustly defended. When a man can't display a palm cross in his van in a historically Christian country, it should give people serious pause for thought. Is this the kind of society that the British public want to live in?"

WDH employees who adhere to other faiths are allowed to wear head-dresses and turbans, but the company said all its drivers were subject to the same rules. "We do not allow employees to display any personal representations in our vehicles, although they are free to do so upon their person," a spokesman said. "It would be inappropriate to comment further about this individual case."

Like it or not he works for a private company that is free to enforce their own policies.

He is driving a company vehicle and he has to follow the rules they set.

reply to post by davesmart


If your boss says "get rid of your religious memorabilia at your work station" you do it. You can cover the inside of your house in Swastikas if you want but when you represent a company you follow the rules. Or just get a new job

Originally posted by davesmart
Bosses at the housing association where he has worked for 15 years have asked Colin Atkinson to remove the religious symbol because it could offend tenants.

By "tenants", I assume they mean "muslims".

Originally posted by ThaLoccster
Like it or not he works for a private company that is free to enforce their own policies.

He is driving a company vehicle and he has to follow the rules they set.

What would happen if it was a menorah or a mezuzah (six-pointed star)? The tenant would have been evicted immediately, his employer would have fired him, the local paper would have done a story about the anti-semitism. If the company followed the same rule, they would be run out of business.

reply to post by davesmart


The man has a cross the symbolizes peace and love for his fellow man. But that message can't be expressed to other people because it's offensive?
Bet if he had a Koran on the dash board no one would say anything. The company would say it's his right to express himself.
OKAY FOLKS! ...This what your teaching your kids!
Christians, Jews, Catholics, Baptist. Any thing that sybolizes a belief in a higher power that says GOD loves you and preaches peace need to stay hidden! They are bad! Jesus is bad! God is bad! You should hide the cross away like a porno magazine. It's very offensive to people.
Well the people that are offended by it are the ones that need it the most!
I'm not saying to force it down peoples throats but treat it like Billboard sign saying"Have you tried this? Check into it if your interested?" Lord know I have to put with offensive things every day! Like everyday Advertising and reality TV.
I haven't been to church in quite a few years...15 maybe? and I went to a Catholic school for 12 years! But I still keep God in my heart every day! Well....I try. I'm no saint by a long shot!
Go ahead....Teach your Children to live in a Godless world!
It is after all...your God given right too.

Without knowing all the facts, we only have this mans side of the sotry to go on. That said, the facts, as they are, seem fairly straight forward. The company operates a policy of no personal items are to be displayed in company vehicles. It does, however, not have a problem with such items on the desks or on the person of such employees. In order fot the company to initiate disciplinary action, it must have first approached the man and requested he remove the "offending" item. Presumably, he has refused and subsequently is facing action from his employer.

Fairly simple, really. All employers have their own codes of conductand he has breached them. I doubt the company cares about whether it is a Christian, Muslim or Animist symbol. A complaint was made, they investigated and found himk to be in breach of company rules.

If some here suspect this is an issue against a "Christian", then my I suggest you go and find a van of the same company being used by someone of a different faith with something on show and make a complaint. If the company doesn't take similiar action, then yes, you may have a point, until then, this is pretty cut and dry.

If they don't believe in religion, then its just two intersecting lines, if they do, then they value the symbol. If they are of a different religion, then, it could represent a sense of tension, perhaps, like different football teams, but, only different Gods.

reply to post by davesmart


Two words.
Company van.

Its their van, their rules.
If something is bad for business, it's bad for business.

I read on ATS not long ago about
a state making it illegal to post a
highway memorial cross beside
the road where a Christian has died.
This was a state law from what I
remember. And also another incident
happened where a Christian billboard
had to be taken down cuz it was
offensive. Then there was the time
that a cities bus lines were to carry
Christian ads and they were sued
and had to take them down. Then I
remember before that how In God we trust
was removed from our coins, our printed
dollars and our US Postage Stamps.

They are trying to remove GOD from society.
Welcome to the Satanic NWO.

This is only the beginning. One day in the near
future, Christians will be hunted down and killed.
This is called the tribulation period and is in the
Bible in Revelation. It was all foretold 2,000 yrs
ago.

PS: and oh btw, let's not forget about the Soros
religious initiative where he is funding an organization
to mix Muslims and Christians under one religion.

it seems there is a crack down on religion
going on.

U.S. Ambassador to Resign After Criticism Over Focus on Abortion, Faith

US Ambassador resigns because he speaks
and writes too much about his religion.

This is downright unconstitutional. If it were something pertaining to any other religion it would be fine. I hate watching our rights being trampled on like this.

"We do not allow employees to display any personal representations in our vehicles, although they are free to do so upon their person,"

This, right here. I'm sorry folks, but this is one time where I am going to have to disagree with the majority of you. A company rule is a company rule (as much as I hate to say it). If my employer wanted me to remove a picture of my dog in a tutu from the dashboard of their company vehicle, I would, because I kinda like having a job. This case, in my opinion, has nothing to do with the First Amendment, or personal rights. It has to do with the rule that I quoted above.

This is nothing but sensationalism, meant to conjure up some feeling of one particular religion being repressed over another.

Just my $.02.




Peace be with you.

-truthseeker

reply to post by davesmart


I'm really not sure why I feel compelled to comment..I appologize in advance...but...

Think about this...if he is allowed this item...the wild voodoo goat/chicken blood sacrifice guy gets what he wants on his dash too...
There really was a good idea..when our gov't tried/offered separation of church and state...but it IMO should also be re-thought about what religion/churchs/congregations...do at work....
Many jobs have a dress code.....I could be a minimalist wearing a loin cloth...due to my beliefs and use that to not make dress code pertain to me....

Can the guy not just wear one on a necklace? obviously not his huge graa woven *' dried one...but ya know..just a bit more conservative...maybe he's scared of vampires...who knows..
Sorry again end of rant

reply to post by truthseeker1984


Gotta agree with you on that one. It is far easier from a company standpoint to just make it even across the field and the same rules apply to every employee than to start including every little aspect of everything people want. As that latter would be far less productive if people were wasting their time and manpower arguing simple issues. The real person at fault in this whole mess is the tenet as if they would have just let bygones be bygones and not bothered getting all upset over a simple cross in an employees vehicle then this would all be a non issue. Once again some loser with no life has to ruin life for the rest of us civilized people, most of us don't even notice little things in life as we are far to busy with life in general but there is always one in every crowd.

Well this is the result of the structure we have allowed to be created. The man works for a corporation and thus must relinquish his personal rights to conform to the corporation standard. It is not HIS work van. It is not HIS company name. It is not HIS reputation on the line. He is not even his. He is an electrician of a corporation. I robot they send out to THEIR customers. He has no grounds to complain so long as he is content with this system. He will get paid pennies on the dollar and the corporation will reap the true benefits of his skill and labor while at the same time stripping him of his own identity. Hello Ant, do as the colony demands.

Why we accept this is OUR problem. Once upon a time, if you wanted to learn a skill, you apprenticed under someone until you mastered it. Then YOU went out and started your business doing that skill. You built your reputation and YOUR business flourished or faltered based on your customer satisfaction. Either way the freedom was in your hands to do it your way.

Then to control competition, Masters of various skills established guilds and a recognition process. To learn a skill in a certain area, you had to join a guild. Once a Master of the trade, you paid the guild a percentage of your wage for the privilege of doing business in a certain area. The guild worked hand in hand with the King to ensure that no one who was not a guild member would be allowed to do business in the Kingdom by paying a stipend to the King.

Corporations are merely a grandiose evolution of guilds.

Ah, but we like it this way. Who wants to be free any way. No one wants any free carpenters, or free electricians, or free masons running around raking in the profits from their own labor. How would the state benefit off of this? How would wealthy investors sit on their ass doing nothing but spending money on your shackles benefit? You would be dangerous if you were free. You might realise you do not need the system any more. Just a skill and a bit of honesty to do it. Can't have that now...

With Love,

Your Brother

Another example of how Christians are the most persecuted group of people in all of history.

Originally posted by BeenieWeenie
Another example of how Christians are the most persecuted group of people in all of history.

When Christians are nailed to the cross, then they can cry they are being persecuted. This is not an example of persecution. The system of corporation is the persecution of Man.

With Love,

Your Brother

reply to post by IAMIAM

To learn a skill in a certain area, you had to join a guild. Once a Master of the trade, you paid the guild a percentage of your wage for the privilege of doing business in a certain area.

Yeah sounds a lot like what the mafia does except they at least do it with style. Which in my mind the goberment is a mirror copy of the mafia without the catchy names and of course the style.

reply to post by Doc Holiday


Like the Idea of wearing a cross necklace!
'I would conform to that if I was that guy.
If the company has a problem with that.....what's the difference between that and a Turbin, Burka or Bini?
Would like to see what their response would be then?