Amongst Mary Onuoha’s most prized possessions is the small gold cross she has worn round her neck every single day of her life since childhood, a logo of this 61-year-old nurse’s religious religion.
‘Each time I have a look at it, I consider Jesus, His love, how a lot He cherished me, and the necessity for me to like Him again,’ she says.
Few may fail to be moved by the sincerity of these sentiments, even when they don’t share them. Nor, you could assume, may this small and discreet image of her perception probably offend.
Alas, Mary’s employers on the south London hospital the place she labored as a theatre practitioner for 19 years took a distinct view, and in recent times she was repeatedly requested to take away the cross, a gift at her baptism.
Mary Onuoha’s small gold cross is a logo of the 61-year-old nurse’s religion. ‘Each time I have a look at it, I consider Jesus, His love, how a lot He cherished me, and the necessity for me to like Him again,’ she says
She gained a case towards Croydon NHS Belief on the grounds of harassment, victimisation, direct and oblique discrimination, and unfair dismissal dismissal
Mary was advised that the necklace ‘harboured micro organism’, however she believes she was focused for displaying a logo of her Christian religion – though many colleagues have been allowed to sport different objects expressing their spiritual beliefs, be they turbans, hijabs or bracelets.
On one event a supervisor even known as her away from her nursing duties in an working theatre in the midst of surgical procedure to self-discipline her for sporting it – probably risking sufferers’ security, she claims.
When she refused to take it off, Mary was moved to clerical duties and have become topic to what she describes as a sustained marketing campaign of bullying that left her unable to work.
Having been signed off with stress, final October she introduced a authorized case towards Croydon Well being Providers NHS Belief on the grounds of harassment, victimisation, direct and oblique discrimination, and constructive and unfair dismissal.
Final week her case led to victory when employment decide Daniel Dyal discovered that Mary had been constructively dismissed in a means that was each unfair and discriminatory.
He mentioned the belief had created a ‘humiliating, hostile and threatening setting’ and that when Mary complained, the response had been ‘offensive and intimidating’.
It’s a vindication, albeit a bittersweet one, for Mary as she believes the case exposes the hostility and discrimination skilled by many Christians within the office, a view shared by the previous Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey.
Right here, in her solely newspaper interview, she tells The Mail on Sunday: ‘This has all the time been an assault on my religion. My cross has been with me for greater than 40 years. It’s a part of me, and my religion, and it has by no means induced anybody any hurt.
‘At this hospital there are members of workers who go to a mosque 4 instances a day and nobody says something to them.
‘Hindus put on pink bracelets on their wrists and feminine Muslims put on hijabs in theatre. But my small cross round my neck was deemed so harmful that I used to be now not allowed to do my job.’
It’s a flip of occasions that has astonished a lady who believed she was coming to a free nation when she arrived in Britain from Nigeria in 1988 to pursue her dream of turning into a nurse.
‘I’m a powerful lady, however I’ve been handled like a felony,’ she says. ‘I like my job, however I’m not ready to compromise my religion for it, and neither ought to different Christian NHS workers on this nation.’
It’s clear that what Mary has endured runs deep. A proud, softly-spoken lady, she finds it exhausting to narrate the occasions of current years, and her voice falters ceaselessly as she tells of her expertise.
The Christian religion was on the coronary heart of the Nigerian village the place Mary was raised, the eldest of ten siblings in a loving household. And it was there {that a} household tragedy set her on the trail to turning into a nurse.
‘Once I was 15 my beloved two-year-old brother died of measles,’ she remembers. ‘I used to be so unhappy that there wasn’t the medical care accessible for him that would have saved him at the moment within the space the place I lived. This made me captivated with caring for individuals and about medication.
‘I used to be decided to assist my mom and ensure it didn’t occur once more.’
Mary moved to the UK together with her husband Charles, settling in South London, the place the couple have lived ever since with their household and the place Mary certified as a nurse.
In November 2001, she began to work at Croydon College Hospital, employed latterly as a theatre practitioner, a nursing position carried out primarily within the working theatre and offering pre- and post-operative care. Her cross was generally hid by her scrubs, however was seen on different events.
Nonetheless, it by no means attracted remark till 2014, when the theatre supervisor on the time requested her to take away it on health-and-safety grounds. ‘I refused and mentioned phrases to the impact of ‘What about hijabs, turbans and kalava bracelets?’,’ Mary remembers. ‘She mentioned she would get again to me however didn’t achieve this.’
A yr handed with out additional incident till, in late 2015, a matron requested Mary to put on an extended chain to hide the cross below her uniform. ‘Once more, I requested why I ought to cover my religion whereas others have been allowed to indicate their very own,’ Mary says. ‘She didn’t take the matter any additional.’
It was the primary of many related incidents, with a succession of managers asking her to hide or take away her cross, deeming it a health-and-safety danger. If not, Mary was advised, the matter would face ‘escalation’.
Mary Onuoha on the South London Employment Tribunal Constructing Croydon in October
Mary frequently refused. ‘It felt like bullying,’ she says.
Then, in November 2016, Mary was attending a affected person in surgical procedure when her supervisor got here in to the working theatre and ordered her right into a aspect room, saying she wanted to debate her necklace.
‘I mentioned ‘I can not depart the affected person’, however the supervisor insisted,’ Mary says. ‘I used to be so embarrassed. Theatre is a pressured setting, and I used to be astonished that senior workers have been ready to probably endanger a affected person’s life with a purpose to intimidate me to take away it.’
It was the beginning of what Mary says she will be able to solely describe as an ongoing marketing campaign of intimidation by senior hospital managers, throughout which she was subjected to an investigation into her conduct.
By November 2018, she was suspended from medical duties and as an alternative assigned clerical work and advised that safety could be known as if she tried to enter a theatre space whereas nonetheless sporting her cross.
Successfully, she was ostracised. ‘I’m a powerful lady, however this was demeaning to me and induced me loads of stress,’ she says. ‘It was degrading.’
After all, there might be some who assume the only factor to have accomplished was take away it – however that isn’t to reckon with the depth of Mary’s religion.
‘Folks did say to me, ‘Why do not you simply take away your necklace?’ However I do know that if I did, I’d really feel as if I had compromised, that I’d have stepped again from my religion,’ she says.
‘I do not wish to be a lukewarm Christian. I like my job, however God comes first.’
Nonetheless, by June 2020 the stress had change into an excessive amount of and Mary was signed off work by her physician. Two months later she resigned, successfully compelled out of a job she cherished. For months afterwards she was unable to work, although she has now discovered a brand new job. ‘I by no means thought I’d ever be in a state of affairs like this, however I used to be decided to get by it,’ she says.
She was equally decided to carry her employers to account – and final week her braveness was vindicated by Choose Dyal who, in a damning ruling, mentioned that the dress-code coverage was utilized ‘in an arbitrary means’ and with ‘no cogent clarification’ why plain rings, neckties, hijabs and turbans have been permitted, however a cross necklace was not.
Pictured: Mrs Onuoha says she has worn the gold cross as a mirrored image of her religion for 40 years
Her monetary compensation might be decided at a later listening to.
For Mary, it’s the precept that basically issues – a welcome and lengthy overdue enhance for Christian freedom. ‘I’m so happy that the tribunal has defended freedom to worship God,’ she says. ‘I do know there are different Christians throughout the nation experiencing related points to me – and I hope this encourages all of them to be brave.’
It’s a sentiment echoed by Andrea Williams, chief govt of the Christian Authorized Centre, who supported Mary in her authorized battle.
‘The courts have lastly admitted that the cross is a Christian image in an important ruling that protects a Christian’s proper to precise their religion within the office,’ she mentioned.
‘The tribunal has discovered that the cross is not only a chunk of jewelry or a style accent, however dominated that it’s a image of Christianity and it’s of central significance to the religion of many Christians.
‘This victory has, nevertheless, been achieved at a excessive value. Many Christians within the NHS and different workplaces have needed to cover their crosses and Mary needed to persevere by two years of incessant harassment by her managers.’
A spokesman for Croydon Well being Providers NHS Belief mentioned: ‘We wish to apologise to Mrs Onuoha. It can be crucial that NHS workers really feel capable of categorical their beliefs, and that our insurance policies are utilized in a constant, compassionate and inclusive means.’