Grainger exec Tim Nicholson claims green views led to sack
Oct 8 2009 The Journal
AN executive sacked from one of the UK’s biggest property companies claims he was unfairly dismissed because of his belief in climate change.
Tim Nicholson says his views on the environment are so strong that they led to clashes with other senior staff at Newcastle-based Grainger plc.
In March, employment judge David Neath gave him permission to take the firm to tribunal over his treatment.
But the ruling is being challenged by Grainger on the grounds that green views are not the same as religious or philosophical beliefs.
Representing the company, John Bowers QC said: “A philosophical belief must be one based on a philosophy of life, not a scientific belief, not a political belief or opinion, not a lifestyle choice, not an environmental belief and not an assertion of disputed facts.”
The firm claims that environmental concerns are based on scientific fact, whereas philosophy “seeks to answer the fundamental questions of human experience.
“Why are we here? What are the appropriate ethical values to apply to life? Issues on which there cannot be a scientific answer”.
Mr Nicholson, 42, from Oxford, claims that his views on climate change affect his whole lifestyle. He does not travel by plane and has renovated his home to be more eco-friendly.
