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We all deserve to have our beliefs respected at work. But too many workers still face discrimination because of their religious beliefs.

It’s against the law for an employer to treat you worse than your co-workers because of your religion or beliefs. And you should never face harassment or bullying because of your beliefs.

This is true if you’re a member of a major organised religion, if you’re a member of a smaller religion or sect, if you practice collective worship, if you have no religion, or if you have any profound belief that affects your way of life.

Your employer shouldn’t indirectly discriminate either, by having requirements that are harder for you to meet than for people with other religious beliefs, unless they can be objectively justified. And they can’t discriminate against you because they wrongly believe you’re a member of a certain religion.

If you feel you’re experiencing race discrimination, you can take action to enforce your rights.

Very often, the best way to solve problems is to join with co-workers and try to reach agreement with your employer on how to make the workplace fairer for everyone.

This could be effective, for example, if you wanted your employer to create a prayer space in your workplace.

Are you a rep? You can find more practical advice on a range of workplace issues in our support for reps section

Common
questions
What protection do I have against religious discrimination?
The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful for employers to treat workers less favourably than others on account of religion or belief.
I suspect I haven’t been recruited because of my religion. What can I do?
If you want to discuss your concerns, you can call the government-funded Equality Advisory and Support Service, or the Acas helpline. Both resources are free.
I haven’t been promoted because of my religion. What can I do?
You should seek advice as soon as possible. If you want to discuss your concerns, you can go to your union rep, or call the government-funded Equality Advisory and Support Service, or the Acas helpline. Both resources are free.
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