Greek-Australian former Qantas employee, Georgina Sarikoudis, claims that the airline discriminated against the Christian faith by forcing her and other employees to disguard their religious insignia. The Greek Orthodox employee submitted tribunal documents that say she was subjected to “threats and ridicule” by QANTAS managers who demanded that she cut off her prayer-knot bracelet and remove her necklace because it featured the crucifix.

“The Qantas uniform policy allows for head scarfs by Muslim females but (makes) no allowance for the wearing of crucifixes, religious bracelets or other religious artefacts,” says Ms. Sarikoudis. “Qantas staff have a religious belief other than Muslim.”

She says that she had worn her crucifix for 19 years at the airline and had no problems until she was confronted following the airline’s uniform change last year. The new rules prohibit visible necklaces and bracelets except for medical alert purposes, however women are allowed to wear head scarfs for “cultural, religious or medical reasons.”

Ms. Sarikoudis says she was “grilled” about her devotion to Christ and her reasons behind wanting to wear religious symbols and was even asked how often she attended church as she and others at the airline were ordered to remove their religious insignia.

After months of bullying she accepted a redundancy offer earlier in 2014 however has made a claim to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal in an effort to get the airline to change its uniform policy and allow religious items of significance to be worn as well as to give her an qpology.

A Qantas spokeswoman said that the airline allows religious jewelry to be worn under the uniform.”There has been no change to our uniform standards in relation to religious jewellery since the introduction of the new uniform, but we have reminded employees of what the uniform standards are.”