Sacked BNP Driver Claims Bias
Martin Wainwright, Guardian (UK), Sep. 1
A British National party councillor sacked from his bus driver’s job in Bradford because of the number of British Asians using the service has made an official claim of race discrimination.
Arthur Redfearn, the holder of an employee’s award for his work taking disabled people to centres, will go to an employment tribunal later this year.
He was dismissed by the West Yorkshire Transport Service, part of the Serco group, in June, less than a month after winning the third seat in the city council’s Wibsey ward, behind two Labour candidates.
His solicitor, Philip Chapman, said that the issue was freedom of speech and expression. Mr Redfearn had an exemplary work performance and had been nominated for the service’s “first class employee” status early in June, when Serco knew he was standing for the BNP in the local elections.
Serco said yesterday: “We stand by our decision, which was taken in the best interests of the children and adults who use the service. They are vulnerable and needy and most are Asian.
“It is not appropriate for an active member of the BNP to be ‘in loco parentis’ to them. Their families might not have confidence in him and that means we would not be fulfiling our duty of care.”
