Brussels Government Upholds STIB Decision in Hijab Discrimination Case

The STIB’s decision not to appeal was not to the taste of the Open VLD commissioner of the government Vincent Riga. He had decided to challenge this decision. Seized of an appeal related to a legal dispute, the Brussels government took the opportunity to look into the issue. At the end of the meeting of the Brussels government council held on Thursday, June 17, Minister-President Rudi Vervoort affirmed that the STIB will not appeal the judgment of the labor court which condemned it at the beginning of May for discrimination in hiring against a woman wearing the veil.

"In recent weeks, the STIB, the largest employer in the Brussels Region and very advanced on diversity issues, has been affected, like other administrations and public companies, by the recurring question of the neutrality of agents in public services. The Brussels government, seized of an appeal related to a legal dispute, decided to seize this opportunity to chart the paths of appeasement based on clear and consistent principles," said the Brussels Minister-President. He recalled "the importance of the principle of neutrality and impartiality of agents inherent in the functioning and organization of public services in general." Rudi Vervoort (PS) also indicated that the Brussels executive believes that "it will be up to the management of the public company, in compliance with social dialogue, to propose a modification of the work regulations that will make it possible to establish these principles, taking into account its functional realities".

At a press conference, the Brussels government confirmed that the Brussels Parliament will organize a major citizen debate on neutrality in public services in the very near future. In a press release, it also states that "Brussels intends to demonstrate through debate and an approach based on clear principles that the paramount values of neutrality of the public service are perfectly reconcilable with a dynamic and open human resources management, more inclusive towards women, favorable to gender equality in access to employment and proactive in the feminization of public services".