Discrimination on grounds of philosphical belief?

It is interesting to see that the employers are to appeal a recent tribunal ruling that their treatment of a manager who was a committed environmentalist discriminated against him on grounds of his philosophical belief.

The tribunal's crucial decision at a pre-hearing review is itself a few months old so I suppose that what is newsworthy is that by appealing the decision to the Employment Appeals Tribunal the employers will end up setting a precedent one way or another.

Since discrimination on grounds of religious belief is prohibited it seems to me right that other deeply held beliefs should attract similar protection - we need to be on the look out for the next case in which an employer victimises a trade unionist because of their opposition to privatisation for example. If environmentalism is protected then perhaps a socialist belief in public ownership and public services should likewise be protected?

At this stage the tribunal decision allows only for informed speculation about what it might mean in future - an EAT decision will set a precedent.

With a Tory Government on the horizon and the Cameroonian outriders in places like Barnet, Essex and Hammersmith showing us their fangs, we need to grab every weapon with which to defend our activists in the coming battle for public services. I hope that the EAT finds for the claimant in this case.