Possible piercins discrimination at work?
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Monday May 26th, 2008 @ 12:48 AM
Filed under: Piercing
Hey, so I work for the New Brunswick (Canada) provincial government and Im told that I have to remove all of my visible piercings, except for 2 on each ear. In my law class, my teacher told me that Im being unfairly discrimated against … and that Id be within my rights to refuse to remove them. Now, is she right ? or will I get fired if I dont remove them ? Any advice would be much appreciated.
~Hayley
I am not a lawyer, and I don’t believe any of the other AskBME staff members are either…so take these comments for what they are worth.
It has always been my understanding that employers can enact, and enforce, whatever sort of “dress code” they deem fit. As long as they apply the dress code to all of their employees consistently, you aren’t being discriminated against. While you may well have the right to do whatever you want to your own body, you don’t have an inalienable right to do whatever you want to your body and still be guaranteed a job. The only possible loophole you might have is to claim the piercings are part of your religion. However….be prepared to prove that.
From my perspective, if you refuse to remove your piercings, I think you should expect to lose your job, or at the very least, face some sort of disciplinary action. How far you want to push that is totally up to you.
Best of luck.
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6 Responses to “Possible piercins discrimination at work?”
Firstly, this may differ to where you live. This is Australian law, as I have perceived it. I’m not a lawyer, and I’m not 100% sure.
Was this dress code in place when you started working there? Did they hire you when you had piercings? Was the dress code stated in the contract?
As far as I’m aware (correct me if I’m wrong, people) unless you got these piercings after you started working there, and you signed a contract at the start of your employment agreeing to the dress code, I don’t think they can force you to remove the piercings. If they dismiss you, I think it is grounds for a discrimination accusal.
I’m not 100% certain, as I said. You need to go back and refer to your contract, and the dress code.
Dimruthien on May 26th, 2008 at 9:12 amyeah, i was pierced when they hired me. ive been there 3 years. this year they are actually saying that the policy is changing, i guess certain piercings will be allowed … as long as i get permission to wear them, which is bull becasue i know i will not be allowed to. at the moment, i have my septum, lip and tongue done (as far as visible piercings go..) and i guess its being said that only nostril piercings will be allowed. its possible ill just quit.
hayley_dee on May 26th, 2008 at 11:35 amMy workplace imposed a dress code (uniform and no piercings other than one piercing in each ear lobe) after I’d been there six and a half years. My solution was to put clear retainers in the other nine ear piercings I have. So far, I haven’t been rumbled.
blackberry on May 26th, 2008 at 11:38 amSeptum, tongue, and lip piercings are all almost ridiculously easy to hide with retainers. Personally, in this shitty economy, I’d rather have a job and be able to pay my bills and keep a roof over my head than to insist upon being able to wear visible jewellery to work, but hey, to each their own!
Lori St.Leone on May 26th, 2008 at 4:58 pmIDK where you are located, but in The U.S. there have not been any laws or regulations passed which prohibit an employer from setting a dress code, even after the fact. Also, discrimination is only based on certain things in the US, and body modification is not one of them. It’s sad, but you likely wouldn’t have a case in the US. I agree with Lori, get retainers for the piercings or remove them. A job is important!
Star on May 27th, 2008 at 4:46 pmI know that in Alberta if you are hired with the piercings they cannot tell you to remove them. As long as they are fully aware of them.
Samantha on March 10th, 2009 at 9:25 pmLeave a Comment