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Following the recent ruling that a Muslim woman must remove her face veil while giving evidence in her trial, and the investigation by the Daily Telegraph which revealed that the wearing of a full face veil has been banned for staff dealing with patients in 17 NHS hospitals, there has been much discussion about the wearing of face veils in public and particularly in the workplace.
Here in the UK we are lucky enough to live in a culturally diverse society, where we can generally wear whatever we want. However, in the workplace, employers are allowed to exercise an element of control over their employees where it is necessary for legitimate business reasons.
All employees have the right not to be discriminated against on the grounds of their religion or belief. An element of a person's religious belief may be that they should wear a particular piece of clothing or jewellery, such as a veil or cross on a necklace. If a company dress code prevents them from wearing such an item, they may feel that they have been discriminated against on the grounds of their religion.