Religious views own business—Sides opponent

Press, 29 March 1980, Page 1

Religious views own business —Sides opponent

The mother of the boy who was refused a job interview on religious grounds by the Christchurch car firm owner, Mr Eric Sides, said yesterday that she had taken the case to the Human Rights Commission because her family believed a person’s religious belief was his own business and nothing to do with anybody else. Mrs E. M. Robinson took the case of her son, lan, to the commission when.he was refused the interview for a petrol attendant’s job. An advertisement carried by two Christchurch newspapers had called for a “keen Christian person’’ for the job but lan, aged 16, was refused an interview

when he told Mr Sides he was a Christian but that he did not attend church regularly. The denial of her son’s right to a job interview annoyed Mrs Robinson. Implications that the only reason the case had been taken to the commission was for monetary gain were untrue, she said. “We had no idea that we were entitled to any money when we laid the complaint,” she said. The family had decided that .any money they received because of the case would be given’to the Cancer Research Society. "Mr Sides insinuated that my son was not a Christian because he did

not attend church’ every week but we believe you do not have to go to church to be a Christian. lan is baptised in the Anglican Church.” Mrs Robinson said that the sort of advertising in question should be stopped, especially in these times when jobs were so difficult to get. ';C ; i Mr Sides had been “pub-licity-seeking” and had blown the whole case out of proportion. “It has got to the stage where we must say something in defence of our action,” said Mrs Robinson,

Mr Sides had been quick to quote Biblical verses but if he had read further

he would have noticed a very, important passage: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” Mr Sides had quoted King David from Psalm 16: “I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved.” He should have taken notice of a further reading: “If you have got something, do not tell them to go away and come back but help them there.”

lan Robinson said that when he had telephoned Mr Sides in reply to the advertisement Mr Sides had asked if he had had any previous experience

as a petrol-pump attendant.

Mr Sides then asked him if he was a “fly-by-nighter” and he had said no, although he had had other jobs. In reply to further questions, he had said that he was a Christian but that he did not go to church on Sundays. • “Mr Sides then told me it was no use me coming for an interview as I would not get the job,” said lan.

He was not upset about not getting the job, but he was put off by questions that nobody had asked before concerning his religion.

“I consider myself a Christian. I do not think you are necessarily a Christian just because you go to church every, Sunday.”

lan said he had no idea of the amount of money involved in any compensation, but he thought it would amount to lost wages and an amount for “hurt feelings,” as the commission had said in its decision.

lan is on the unemployment benefit at present after having been “made redundant” from a job recently.

Mr . Sides said last evening that if Mrs Robinson had come to him in the

first place and had discussed the situation amicably he would have been quite happy to have sat down with her and talked about it. “If I had refused to talk with her after denying her son the job then maybe she would have had a point but she gave me no opportunity to justify my action,” he said. “The issue has made me look like an uncharitable Christian but I could tell over the telephone that her son did not meet the requirements of the job.” Mr Sides said he had not gone to the news media and any suggestion that he was publicity-seeking was

“a very unjust statement.” “I had to make my case when my character and my Christian integrity were being attacked.” He felt sorry for Mrs Robinson. It was ludicrous that it had become a legal matter w’hen the issues at stake were simple.

“Mrs Robinson knows the real reason her son did not get the job and that will become evident at the hearing. Her immediate reaction was to take the case to the new’s media.

“I knew nothing of the commission hearing until I was approached by radio.. for comment. I have nothing to lose and she has nothing to gain.”