The ACOD trade union is backing Flemish teacher Hadija Amajoud’s appeal against her dismissal by East Flanders provincial authorities for wearing a headscarf, arguing that while it supports the principle of neutral state education, the province went too far in this case.
ACOD said it supports neutral education and the principle of neutrality in official schools, but added that Amajoud had been hired while already wearing a headscarf and had worked for years without any problems.
The union also said Amajoud had shown willingness to adapt her clothing. Among other proposals, she suggested wearing a more neutral form of head covering. According to ACOD, the province left no room for such a compromise.
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The union said that, especially when introducing a new rule affecting staff who had been hired under the previous system, some willingness to agree transitional arrangements could reasonably have been expected.
ACOD therefore argues that dismissal, the most severe standard disciplinary sanction, was disproportionate to the facts of the case.
It said every compromise and transitional arrangement had been rejected, and called on the Appeals Chamber to take the specific circumstances into account.
The union also pointed to the personal impact of the case on Amajoud, saying the procedure had affected her deeply.
