AN airport worker has been sacked for refusing to remove a nose stud.

Amrit Lalji of Weston Road in Stanmore, who works for catering company, Eurest UK, at Heathrow Airport was dismissed on Thursday, September 3, for failing to remove the nose pin she wears as a mark of her Hindu faith.

Mrs Lalji, 40, had been working for more than a year before she was asked to remove the piercing by a manager, for health and safety reasons.

But she was suspended and subsequently sacked after refusing to obey management instructions.

Mrs Lalji said: "They sacked me from work because of my nose stud - I have to prove to them that it is in my religion to wear it."

Mrs Lalji is receiving support for her case from the Fwaminarayan Hindu Temple in Woodlands Road, Stanmore.

Her union, GMB, is also calling for her immediate reinstatement.

GMB organiser, Tahir Bhatti, said: "Eurest UK have always known Amrit Lalji would not remove the nose pin.

Her employer knew she considered the pin to be a requirement of her religion and she had every reason to believe that that had been accepted."

Mrs Lalji's case recalls Nadia Eweida's fight to wear her Christian crucifix after she was suspended, but later reinstated by British Airways last year.

A statement from Eurest UK said Mrs Lalji had been advised "on a number of occasions" that "jewellery may not be worn on duty and facial piercings are not permitted".

The statement said: "Jewellery can harbour bacteria, create a hazard when working with machinery and find it's way into the food people eat," it said.

"Mrs Lalji's decision not to return to work without the nose stud contravenes company rules and regulations and she was dismissed."