Theatre company backs down after attempting to sue Christian actress for refusing to work on Easter Sunday

Siobhan Daly, an actress from east London, was sued for breach of contract after she requested not to work on Easter Sunday on 12 April 2009.

Siobhan Daly, an actress from east London, was sued by SG Productions for breach of contract after she requested not to work on Easter Sunday on 12 April 2009.  The Company, which had employed Siobhan for a production taking place in residential homes and community centres over the Easter period, demanded almost £2,500 from Siobhan the costs for, among other things, cancelling the production, despite the fact that Siobhan had an understudy who could have taken her place on Easter Sunday.

Siobhan’s contract said that she would be working five days per week but there was no specific mention of working over the weekend, and the performance schedule Siobhan received did not mention any weekend working. However, once Siobhan realized that she was expected to work on Easter Sunday, she requested time off so that she could attend church.  Her request was met with resistance and derision by the Company managers.  The Company refused to accommodate Siobhan’s faith and refused to amend her timetable so that she would not have to work on Easter Sunday, despite the fact that it had not been made clear that she was expected to work on Easter Sunday. She was subjected to a series of derogatory text messages and phone calls from the managers towards her person and Christian faith and her contract was terminated.
 
The Company pursued a claim for almost £2,500, the amount it believed it had lost as a result of the termination of Siobhan’s contract. However, Siobhan never received the documentation relating to the demand and she was unaware of it until May 2009 when she received a court judgment demanding the money. Thankfully, on 5 October the Christian Legal Centre, which has been supporting Siobhan, received notification that the Company has decided to discontinue the claim and Siobhan is now released from defending herself for her request not to work on Easter Sunday.