(Courthouse News) Bans on head coverings are allowed in European Union workplaces as long as they apply to all employees, the bloc’s top court ruled Thursday.
The European Court of Justice sided with Belgian housing organization SCRL, which refused to move forward with a job applicant after she indicated she would refuse to remove her headscarf to comply with the company’s head covering ban.
L.F., as the woman is identified in court documents, applied for a six-week traineeship with SCRL in 2018. Her interview went well, according to company records, but when asked if she would remove her headscarf while working, she said no. L.F. later offered to wear another head covering but was informed company policy forbade all coverings, “be it a cap, a hat or a headscarf,” according to Thursday’s ruling.
