The case in summary A complaint from Hafrsfjord congregation in Stavanger was rejected by the Discrimination Board. The complaint concerned the cleaning company Ren Glede Renhold, which refused to wash the windows of the congregation. They reasoned with a desire to be religion- and outlook-neutral. The Discrimination Board rejected the complaint because it concerned a legal person and not a natural person. Here they followed the law. The lawyer for the congregation, Ingrid B. Tenfjord, believes that the rejection is unacceptable and that there should be a right for legal entities to appeal the case in order to ensure protection against discrimination in Norway for everyone. State Secretary in the Ministry of Culture and Equality, Erlend Hanstveit, says that the ministry has no plans to change the regulations, as equality and non-discrimination are human rights principles that are based on protecting individuals. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. A congregation in Stavanger had dirty windows and asked a cleaning company to wash the windows. But the company didn’t want that. The cleaning company “Ren Glede Renhold” justified the refusal by saying that they wanted to be religion- and outlook-neutral. This happened in the spring of 2023. General manager Eli Dorthea Taunton in Hafrsfjord parish received this e-mail when she asked about washing the windows: Hi, Eli! Thank you for your inquiry. Normally we would be happy to give you a price for the address you request, but in this case we unfortunately have to say no. For the sake of some of our employees, we wish to remain strictly neutral both religiously and politically, and therefore ask for your understanding that we are above this job. I ask for your understanding for this, and hope it works out for you in a different way. Rejected the complaint The main organization for church and non-profit enterprises, KA, lodged a complaint against Ren Glede Renhold to the discrimination board for discrimination of religion and way of life in July 2023. The board has now rejected the complaint. The reason is that the new Equality and Discrimination Act only covers natural persons regardless of the basis of discrimination (external link). Hafrsfjord parish, represented by the Stavanger church council, is listed as the complainant. Here we are not talking about a natural person, but a legal person. The decision letter states the following: “Since the tribunal has come to the conclusion that the complaint concerns a legal person, which is not covered by the discrimination protection in the Equality and Discrimination Act, the case is rejected”. What does the Discrimination Board do? The tribunal deals with complaints about discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Lawyers, judges, lawyers and professors decide the cases. They can demand cessation, correction and other measures that are necessary to stop, among other things, discrimination and harassment. Discrimination cases are not prioritized under the Legal Aid Act. This means that you are not entitled to free legal aid. The tribunal thus becomes an alternative to the court. The tribunal is subordinate to the Ministry of Culture and Equality. Asking questions about the legislation Ingrid B. Tenfjord is department director and lawyer at KA. They were the ones who filed the complaint. She says the rejection decision was as expected. – It was considered whether one or more individuals should stand as complainants, but we chose to let the council deal with the matter so that individuals would not have to bear that burden, she says. She says it is highly likely that they would have been successful in their appeal if individuals in the congregation had lodged a complaint. Ingrid B. Tenfjord is department director and lawyer at KA. She says it is natural to work to ensure that discrimination against the church is clamped down on. Photo: Geir Anders Rybakken Orslien – A right for legal entities to appeal the case would to a greater extent ensure protection against discrimination in Norway for everyone, says the lawyer. Rejecting an organization that feels discriminated against, just because they are an organization, she says, is unacceptable. – This applies to religion, or because of an organisation’s work with, for example, people with ethical connections, sexual orientation or gender identity. Didn’t feel personally discriminated against – We note that the tribunal would not deal with the case when it was about an organization and not an individual, says general manager Taunton in Hafrsfjord parish. She says it would not have been relevant for her to stand as a complainant because she herself did not feel discriminated against. General manager in Hafrsfjord parish, Eli Dorthea Taunton. She did not feel personally discriminated against and therefore felt it was not right to deliver the complaint to the tribunal in person. Photo: Simon Elias Bogen / news – It was the congregation that was discriminated against here, she says. She still thinks it is good that the case has received attention. If such practices are allowed to spread in secret, she believes there could be consequences. – No plans to change the regulations According to the State Secretary in the Ministry of Culture and Equality, Erlend Hanstveit (Ap), the ministry has no plans to change the regulations. He says equality and non-discrimination are human rights principles, where the starting point is to protect individuals. – Giving businesses and organizations protection against discrimination would lead to moving away from these human rights principles, says Hanstveit. State Secretary Erlend Hanstveit (Ap) in the Ministry of Culture and Equality. He says companies and organizations do not have discrimination legal protection under the law. Photo: Ilja C. Hendel Clean Joy Cleaning: – Satisfied – It has drawn attention to an area that is important for the church, she says. Steffen Fiskå is general manager at Ren Glede Renhold. He says they are satisfied with the outcome of the case. He will not comment further on the matter. Director and press contact Ashan Nishantha of the Discrimination Board says it has not been a difficult case for them. – It has been a fair assessment, he says. Ashan Nishantha is director and press contact at the Discrimination Board. He says the processing time in this case was longer than usual. Photo: Thor Brodreskift Matter of principle without practical problems Tenfjord says The Norwegian Church as a religious community handles both the case and the rejection well. – The Stavanger ecclesiastical joint council and KA have nevertheless chosen to pursue the case to highlight that such discrimination is unacceptable anyway, she says. She emphasizes that the case had no practical problems for the congregation. – The windows were washed by someone else. This is more about the principle that they refused to wash, says Taunton. Hello, you! Do you have any thoughts you’re stuck with after reading this case? Or maybe you have tips for something else I can write about? Feel free to get in touch! 👇 You can also use the comment field below if you have any thoughts after reading the case: Hi! Welcome to dialogue at news. 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Complaint rejected by the Discrimination Board – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
