It seems odd to me that human rights are universal and inalienable whereas rights given by law are given to some and not to others. Statutory inequalities are obviously unjust. The law sanctions and allows inequality - including those based on sex and sexual orientation - as long as religion is the basis for that exclusion. We allow social inequality every time we fail to stand up for someone who is treated differently. Why do we permit some to be treated as second class citizens?
Clergy are no longer treated with the respect and deference which they once were, but as that social standing has eroded and as complaints prodecures have become enshrined in law, and as ministerial review and capability procedures become normative there has been a failure to take compensatory measures. There can be no excuse not to give clergy the same rights as employees. They don't have to become employees to be given those rights. Creating a whole raft of separate legislation reinforces the idea that clergy are to be treated differently, while all that is wanted is to be treated the same - to have the same rights as everyone else has, and to have them protected by law. Is that too much to ask?