An 18-year-old girl who applied for a job at Roosendaal staffing agency All-In was shocked to be told she could not work there if she wore a headscarf.

The girl, named by free newspaper Spits as Leila, had not worn a headscarf to the interview but had done so during a previous internship. All-In asked her about this and added ‘we are a Dutch company and are allowed to make demands.’

Leila, who told Spits she had no intention of wearing a headscarf to work, later phoned back the company asking for clarification and recorded the phone call.

Dutch

In that conversation it was again made clear to the girl that ‘the company is Dutch and I can require this of my staff’.

All-In spokeswoman Judith van Aalst told Spits she had only wanted to warn Leila about possible client reactions. ‘Some 95% of our clients are Polish and she might have been bullied. That is why I raised the headscarf issue,’ Spits quotes her as saying.

Lelia, who is studying legal services at college, has now made a formal complaint to the police.