Priest who wanted to work from home, failed to fulfill duties was unfairly dismissed: tribunal
An Orthodox priest from the United Kingdom was unfairly dismissed after a series of conflicts over his duties, a tribunal has ruled.
Father Stavros Bozos, a priest from the Three Hierarchs Orthodox Church in Leeds, was dismissed in May 2022.
The case, first reported by The Telegraph, centered on Bozos' refusal to meet specific job expectations, particularly following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.
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After serving 18 years as a priest, Bozos faced mounting pressure from the diocese to fulfill his responsibilities, including conducting church services on feast days outside of Sundays and providing regular catechism classes for the Greek school. His refusal to carry out these duties ultimately led to his dismissal.
Bozos, who had moved to the U.K. from Greece in 2018, defended his actions by arguing that commuting to the church was unnecessary and would disrupt his work-life balance. He claimed that the church's computer was located in his home, which allowed him to complete his administrative tasks without the need to travel.
He argued that the additional commuting time would be burdensome on his family and take away valuable time for work. However, the diocese raised concerns over his unavailability to parishioners, noting that the priest was becoming increasingly difficult to reach and had tried to limit his face-to-face interactions with his community.
Court documents show that when the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions were lifted, Bozos had not resumed his usual duties, particularly those involving church services and religious education. He was also accused of being "controlling and uncooperative" during meetings with his superiors.
The situation worsened when Bozos declined to conduct services on certain feast days and refused to provide divine liturgy classes from January to March 2022, despite this issue being raised multiple times by the diocese, according to documents.
By March 2022, the diocese concluded that the relationship between Bozos and the church had deteriorated significantly. They believed the priest could no longer effectively serve his parish, and discussions surrounding his dismissal began.
Diocese officials reportedly viewed the situation as an inevitable "divorce" and sought a resolution, preferring a consensual departure but prepared for a contentious dismissal. The situation escalated, leading to Bozos being officially informed of his termination in May 2022.
Despite the serious concerns about his conduct, the tribunal ultimately ruled that Bozos had been unfairly dismissed due to procedural errors.
Employment Judge Hannah Bright stated that while the diocese had valid reasons for wanting to end the priest's tenure — primarily his evasiveness and unwillingness to make himself available to parishioners — it failed to follow proper dismissal procedures.
As a result, Bozos was awarded compensation of £2,232 ($2,765) for the unfair dismissal, which stemmed from the fact that no clear dismissal procedure was followed in his case.
The death of Bozos' wife in Nov. 2020, reported in The Yorkshire Evening Post, may have played a factor in Bozos' standoff with the church.
According to the report, 50-year-old Kalli Mantala-Bozos died after testing positive for COVID-19. The tribunal report makes only a single mention of her death.
A Nov. 2020 Facebook post announcing her death read in part: "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing away of our priest's wife, our beloved presvytera Kalli, who succumbed to Covid-19 related illness today, 26/11. Fr Stavros and the children express their warmest thanks to all of you for joining your prayers with theirs in this difficult time."
"Jesus said, 'I am the Life and Resurrection. He who believes in me, even if he dies he shall live. And he who lives and believes in me will never die.' Amen!"
