Woman fired for wearing corn-row braids to work

In most of North American, employers don’t even need a reason to fire employees. In most parts of the US, an “employment-at-will” standard applies. In Canada, rules vary from province to province, but mostly just in terms of the amount of notice that an employer gives, or the amount of severance. A reason isn’t really necessary. But some reasons are of course forbidden: firing based on race, or gender, is forbidden as a violation of human rights. But what about firing based on a race-related hair-style?

The case below is about a restaurant, and restaurants can likely claim some right to control how employees wear their hair — both for aesthetic and health reasons. But it’s hard to imagine that working with regard to a style as neat and tidy as corn rows. Would things be different for other hairstyles, even if they were linked (how closely?) to race?

>>>

LINK: Montreal woman wins case after losing job at Madisons because of her hair (by Anne Leclair for Global News)

Four years after a young Montreal woman was sent home from work for having braids in her hair, the Quebec Human Rights Commission has ruled she was a victim of racial and gender discrimination.

The owner of Madisons New York Bar and Grill in downtown Montreal has been ordered to pay the 23-year-old $14,500 in damages.
…
McNickle’s mother, who worked as a hairdresser for two decades, claims it’s a victory for all black women…..

What do you think?

Brought to you by: