Hindu airport worker sacked 'for wearing nose stud'

Amrit Lalji, 40, worked at Heathrow for more than a year and said she wore the stud as part of her Hindu religion. The mother of three, who was employed as a customer relations worker in Terminal 1 by Eurest, said she had always made it clear to the firm that she wore the stud for religious reasons.

Mrs Lalji, who intends to fight for her job, said she produced a letter from the Hindu community in Stanmore, north west London, where she lives, to support her case.

After being allowed to wear the stud for more than a year, a manager told her to remove it this summer and she was suspended and subsequently sacked.

Mrs Lalji said: "I feel I am being discriminated against. It is only a tiny stud and I wear it as part of my Hindu faith."

The GMB union said it will fight to have Mrs Lalji reinstated immediately.

Union official Tahir Bhatti said: "The company always knew she would not remove the nose stud and clearly had no problem with this until a manager complained."

A statement by Eurest said: "Mrs Lalji had been advised of company policy on a number of occasions which states that, with the exception of a plain wedding ring and sleeper earrings, jewellery must not be worn while on duty and flesh piercings are not permitted.

"Jewellery can harbour bacteria, create a hazard when working with machinery and find its way into the food people eat.

"A meeting was held with her and her appropriate union representation and she was placed on full pay while we tried to resolve the issue

"Mrs Lalji's decision not to return to work without the nose stud contravenes company rules and regulations and she was dismissed."

The case has echoes of a battle last year by Heathrow worker Nadia Eweida who was sacked by British Airways for wearing a Christian cross round her neck but later reinstated.