On August 15, 2016, I was invited by the Caribbean New Media Group to speak on the Good Morning Trinidad and Tobago breakfast television programme about the recent judgment of the Equal Opportunity Tribunal, which was conducted by the Legal Aid Clinic of the Hugh Wooding Law School.

The discussion, which focused on the issue of discrimination, also delved into one of the day’s headlines, in which a letter to an employee from the human resources department of a major insurance firm in Trinidad and Tobago warning him over his “unprofessional” hairstyle was posted on social media. The employee uploaded a ‘selfie’, along with a photo of the letter to his Facebook page. Although it was reported that he  later deleted the post, it had already gone viral. While some social media users were asking about the backstory, many netizens took up the employee’s cause on the basis of those two images, flooding the company’s Facebook page with critical comments.

Presenter, Dike Rostant also solicited an opinion as to whether the Equal Opportunity Tribunal matter, which involved the discrimination of a muslim woman by a security company’s refusal to allow her to wear a hijab, now opened the ‘flood-gates’ to other members of the protective services clamouring to be allowed to wear their religious headdress with their uniforms.

The discussion also featured an explanation of the services offered by the Legal Aid Clinic, at the Hugh Wooding Law School.

About The Author Jason Nathu

Jason Nathu is an Attorney-at-Law and Tutor attached to the Legal Aid Clinic at the Hugh Wooding Law School.