Reasonable Accomodation of Religion in the Workplace

29 Mar 2011 12:00
29 Mar 2011 14:00

Prayer facilities in the workplace, food in canteens which conforms to minority religious prescriptions, adaptations of working clothes to minority religions, allowing a day off for minority religious festivals, …
 
What happens when workers who practice a minority religion ask for changes of working rules so as to enable them to practice their faith?  How do employers react to such demands? What does the (EU, national) law require in such cases? And how have philosophers debated these types issues?

Click below for full programme and mandatory registration

Reasonable accommodation of religion in the workplace
A legal, sociological and philosophical approach

Organisers: Institute for European Studies & FRC (Law Faculty), Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Concept

Prayer facilities in the workplace, food in canteens which conforms to minority religious prescriptions, adaptations of working clothes to minority religions, allowing a day off for minority religious festivals, …
 
What happens when workers who practice a minority religion ask for changes of working rules so as to enable them to practice their faith?  How do employers react to such demands? What does the (EU, national) law require in such cases? And how have philosophers debated these types issues?

The Policy Forum will start at 12:00 with a lunch reception, followed by the programme at 12:30h:
 
12:00 - 12:30 -- Sandwich Lunch
 
12:30 - 14:00 -- Policy Forum:

  • Welcome by Professor Paul De Hert (Professor of Law, Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
  • The legal perspective
    Dr. Julie Ringelheim (Université Catholique de Louvain & Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique)
  • The sociological perspective
    Dr. Ilke Adam (Institute for European Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
  • The philosophical perspective
    Prof. Dr. Gily Coene
     
  • Debate

 
A recently published research report on practices of reasonable accommodation in Belgium (directed by Ilke Adam & Andrea Rea) can be found at http://www.ies.be/research/MigrationandDiversity. The research report is available in French and Dutch.

Registration

Participation is free of charge, but registration is mandatory at events@ies.be

Venue

STOA, VUB Campus, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussel.

Click here for a detailed campus plan (STOA is nr. 4 on the map)