'Forced To Resign' Over Sunday Working

A children's worker who claims she was "forced to resign" after refusing to work on Sundays will appear before an employment tribunal today.

Celestina Mba, 57 worked for over three years at the Brightwell Children's Home in Morden.

She resigned from the home for children with disabilities in 2010 after her employer demanded she work on Sundays.

Christian Concern and sister organisation Christian Legal Centre have hired human rights barrister Paul Diamond to represent Ms Mba.

According to Christian Concern, Ms Mba has never worked on a Sunday and her beliefs were originally respected by the London Borough of Merton. The organisation say the Borough later changed its mind and Ms Mba was "forced to choose between her job or her faith".

Andrea Williams, Director of the Christian Legal Centre said:

"This is another case where we see intolerance towards the Christian faith and a lack of willingness to make accommodation for it."

"Surely it is possible to devise a rota system that respects and accommodates the Christian belief of employees especially where such a rota had worked successfully in the past. A public body like the London Borough of Merton should set the highest standards and not behave like this."

Merton Council have declined to comment on the case.