Radio presenter seeks employment law ruling from ECJ

Posted 03/09/2009

A former radio presenter is to take his case to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in the hope of setting a new employment law precedent for volunteer workers.

Church of Scotland reverend Mahboob Masih has had his unfair dismissal claim referred to the body in order to establish whether or not EU anti-discrimination laws are applicable to unpaid employees.

Rev Masih has brought the case after he was sacked from his job as a presenter on the Asian community radio station Awaz FM.

The plaintiff has denied claims by the radio station that he had made inflammatory comments during a theological debate and is claiming that he has been discriminated against on account of his religion.

However, the subsequent employment tribunal was unable to establish whether or not Rev Masih is covered by the existing framework of EU employment law and has chosen to refer the case to the ECJ for clarification.

This comes after a former charity worker in Cambridge won a compensation claim for more than £65,000 earlier this year after it was ruled he was racially discriminated against by his employer at the British Refugee Council.