No place for discrimination in Singapore: Halimah

President Halimah Yacob has condemned in strong terms discrimination at the workplace, saying it is particularly disturbing during the Covid-19 outbreak.

"Discrimination of any form and against anyone has no place at all in our society," she said yesterday.

She was referring to a recent incident when a 20-year-old sales promoter was told by Tangs department store to remove her hijab to work there.

Such incidents, Madam Halimah added, will add to the anxiety of people already grappling with concerns over their jobs and livelihoods.

"People should be assessed solely on their merits and their ability to do a job and nothing else," she said.

Madam Halimah's remarks, in a Facebook post as well as to reporters who asked her about the incident during her visit to charitable organisation AMP Singapore yesterday, said Tangs has since agreed to remove such restrictions and will allow the hijab to be worn at work.

A Tangs spokesman told The Straits Times on Wednesday that its corporate office colleagues and back of house employees wear religious headgear, and that they plan to standardise this practice across the stores for all.

Welcoming the move, Madam Halimah said: "Diversity is our strength and our society has already embraced it. I hope that employers too will fully embrace diversity at the workplace and do their part to uphold the values of a fair and open society."

On July 29, part-time handbag promoter Nurin Jazlina Mahbob had been working at a pop-up booth on the second floor of Tangs at Tang Plaza in Orchard Road when she was asked by staff of the department store to remove her head scarf. It was her first day on the job.

Ms Jazlina, 20, told ST two female Tangs managers told her that she could not work in the store with a hijab on, as the company did not allow staff to wear any headgear.

The managers then explained to her that removing her hijab was "for the sake of professionalism".

"Asking me to remove my hijab in public is a personal insult. Wearing a hijab is not only required by my religion, it is also a symbol of my modesty," she said.

After the incident, Ms Jazlina's employer, who wanted to be known only as Ms Chin and had hired her to run her booth, posted about it on Instagram.

She said that the rules Tangs had were "very ridiculous", adding: "The last thing we need is discrimination and unfair treatment my part-timer and I were put through."

Ms Jazlina said she was thankful Ms Chin spoke up for her and for the change in Tangs' policy.

Yesterday, Ms Chin, 36, told ST she was grateful for the support and awareness her post had raised, saying: "We have been brought up to be a harmonious country, respecting one another... I hope we can all push for a fair and open society."

The incident, and reports on it, also drew responses from members of the public, as well as Senior Minister of State for Manpower and Defence Zaqy Mohamad.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday evening, Mr Zaqy said employers should be thoughtful of the policies and practices they set, and urged them to take into consideration the views and sensitivities of their employees, customers and business partners.

"The Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices make it clear that recruitment and hiring are to be based on merit and the ability to perform the job," he said.

"Religious attire should generally be allowed at workplaces, unless employers have uniform or dress-code requirements which are suited to the nature of their work, or for operational and safety reasons.

"It is important for employers to communicate their uniform policy or dress code clearly and sensitively to their employees and jobseekers and their stakeholders," he added.

On the Tangs incident, he added that the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices - the national discrimination watchdog - has contacted the parties involved and is currently looking into the matter.