ABSTRACT

This chapter explores the relationship between the concept of the public space and the wide array of workplaces in real life and considers the implications of different degrees of publicness of workplaces and job positions in the adjudication of labour relations conflicts involving religious dress. It illustrates the distinct role that the public nature of a job position or a workplace plays in practice, draws from European and US case-law regarding the headscarf and other religious dress in employment conflicts. The role of the, even if somewhat rudimentary, distinction between front-office and back-office positions in delineating opportunities for certain non-standard-conforming individuals illustrates the role of the public and the private in structuring our societies, in particular by inclusion and exclusion of religious dress in certain positions and workplaces. Both public and private sector jobs can entail much, little or no public visibility or contact, determining their front-office or back-office nature.