A WOMAN accounts assistant who insisted on the right not to wear a uniform at work, as men in the company were allowed to do, was sacked four days after her temporary job became permanent.
The woman, assisted by the Employment Equality Agency, took her case to the Labour Court which judged her dismissal as sex discrimination and awarded her £4,000. The case was upheld by the court under the Employment Equality Act. 1977.
The chief executive of the EEA, Ms Carmel Foley, said yesterday she believed the judgment was of particular relevance to women workers. "I feel there is still a perception of women as members of a group, part of a vast pink collar army, who are interchangeable, who are not recognised as individuals."
The company, which has not been named, manufactures and distributes ceramic bathroom suites. According to the EEA, women employees were required to wear a uniform while men were free to determine their own dress so long as it conformed to the company standard.
The woman, who had worked for the company in a temporary capacity, got a permanent job in the accounts department almost a year ago.
"She placed an important value on being neat and presentable but felt that, as male colleagues did not wear a uniform, it was demeaning of her professional status to require her to wear one. Accordingly, she refused to comply with the company policy and was dismissed," the EEA said.
"The Labour Court has again confirmed the legal position that employers can set the general standard of dress which they feel is appropriate to their organisation, but within this standard women and men must be afforded equal treatment," Ms Foley added.