The European Court of Justice has ruled that employers can ban their workers from wearing the “visible wearing of any political, philosophical or religious sign” – which does include headscarves. Other religious symbols that could be banned include crucifixes and skullcaps.
Companies will now be allowed to have internal rules that instructs all employees to “dress neutrally”.
The case that prompted the ruling was a receptionist being fired for wearing a headscarf in Belgium, at the security company G4S.
Amnesty International has called the ruling “disappointing” and claimed that it “opened a backdoor to… prejudice”.
Sabash Chelliah, Chaplain at the University of Lincoln said that the ruling could be discrimination of anyone that follows a faith.
