A Christian nurse from Exeter who lost her discrimination-at-work case at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will tomorrow bid for it to be reconsidered.
Shirley Chaplin took her case to the Strasbourg court in September last year after being told in 2009, after a 30-year career on the wards at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital, she could no longer wear a crucifix around her neck.
Her case was rejected by the ECHR, as were those of relationship counsellor Gary McFarlane and registrar Lilian Ladele.
The British government fought the cases, arguing because crosses are not a "requirement" of the Christian faith, employers can forbid the wearing of such symbols and fire workers who insist on doing so.
The court ruled Ms Chaplin's rights had not been violated under the European Convention on Human Rights.
But tomorrow the former Exeter nurse will request her case be transferred to the Grand Chamber for fresh consideration. Her request will be examined by a panel of judges which decides whether or not referral is appropriate.
She will be joined in her quest by Gary McFarlane, a relationships counsellor who was dismissed for gross misconduct for discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation after saying he might have a conscientious objection to providing sex therapy to a same-sex couple on account of his Christian faith.
The Grand Chamber's judgements are final and cannot be appealed.
Ms Chaplin and Mr McFarlane were two of four Christians to take their religious freedom cases to the ECHR where judges considered whether the British Government was failing to protect the rights of Christians.
In January this year the ECHR announced it had rejected their cases, as well as that of registrar Lilian Ladele.
Only Nadia Eweida, a Pentecostal Christian from Twickenham who was sent home by her employer British Airways in 2006 after refusing to remove a necklace with a cross, "suffered discrimination at work over religious beliefs", the ECHR ruled.
Tomorrow marks the latest stage in Ms Chaplin's four-year battle.
Told in 2009 she could no longer wear a crucifix around her neck, an Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled against her in April 2010 because it said Christians "generally did not consider wearing a cross as a requirement of their religion".
