Employers can forbid workers from wearing religious clothing or emblems at work, a top EU court has said, prompting protests by Muslim and Jewish groups.
The decision, which confirms and expands on a 2017 ruling by the same tribunal, was in response to claims from two Muslim women in Germany whose employers banned them from wearing head scarves to work. They sued their employers, and a German court referred the matter to an EU court by precedent.
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The Star of David is seen in front of a synagogue in Paris France on December 10, 2018(Credit: Reuters / Gonzalo Fuentes)The rabbi said he was not aware of such current work controversies involving Jews.
In its ruling, the court cited the need to maintain an environment of “neutrality” in the workplace, saying that any workplace restrictions must conform to a real “need” by employers.
Many advocates of moves to limit the wearing of religious symbols in public argue that it was created as a reaction to political Islam.
The IGMG, an organization for people of Turkish descent in Germany, criticized the decision as “unconstitutional”.