Securitas settles discrimination case over hijab ban

A woman whose job application ended because she wore a hijab has reached a settlement with Securitas, whose uniform policy singled out religious clothing. Employers can impose some neutrality rules, but EU law sets limits.

The Equality Ombudsman, DO, recorded the settlement on 7 October and closed the case. The applicant had sought work as a security guard and was told her headscarf conflicted with the uniform rules.

DO had demanded SEK 75,000 in compensation on 9 September. Its public case record does not disclose the settlement terms, so that figure is the original demand, not a confirmed payment. The case ended by agreement rather than a court judgment.

According to DO, the policy specifically banned religious clothing and symbols. It therefore did not support a claim that Securitas was pursuing general workplace neutrality.

The EU court draws a distinction: a rule applied equally to visible political, philosophical and religious symbols is not automatically direct discrimination. It can still amount to indirect discrimination and must satisfy the requirements for justification and proportionality.

An employer’s wish to satisfy a customer who objects to a worker’s headscarf does not, by itself, justify different treatment on religious grounds.

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