Obesity can be classed as a disability at work

More madness from the egocentric clowns running Brussels!.......the financial ramifications for this latest decision from our masters on the continent in terms of benefits, does not bear thinking about!

Safe, how fat do I need to get and who do I talk to about my blue badge??

 

Will they throw a car in with the deal as well?

Stop sensationalising something that is really nothing of the kind you are blurting about.

 

Danish courts have referred a case about wrongful dismissal to the EU courts, the EU court will have a look to see whether it was a case of dismissal because the gentleman was overweight or, as the council claim, because there was a decline in the number of children at the daycare centre where he worked.

 

In the meantime some British 'expert' has claimed it MIGHT lead to obesity being seen as a disability.

 

Load of tosh, there is nothing of the kind in this case. If the EU decides the man was wrongfully dismissed because he was fat than so be it. The council pays and that is the end of the story.

 

Just because some lawyer has sniffed a chance of milking the proverbials out of this doesn't mean it is actually a story.

Stop sensationalising something that is really nothing of the kind you are blurting about.

 

Danish courts have referred a case about wrongful dismissal to the EU courts, the EU court will have a look to see whether it was a case of dismissal because the gentleman was overweight or, as the council claim, because there was a decline in the number of children at the daycare centre where he worked.

 

In the meantime some British 'expert' has claimed it MIGHT lead to obesity being seen as a disability.

 

Load of tosh, there is nothing of the kind in this case. If the EU decides the man was wrongfully dismissed because he was fat than so be it. The council pays and that is the end of the story.

 

Just because some lawyer has sniffed a chance of milking the proverbials out of this doesn't mean it is actually a story.

Latest from Sky news.

....... Obesity Can Be 'Disability', Says EU Court

 

The verdict means overweight workers in the UK could claim they are technically disabled and seek compensation for discrimination.

More madness from the egocentric clowns running Brussels!.......the financial ramifications for this latest decision from our masters on the continent in terms of benefits, does not bear thinking about!

 

Addiction is an illness, a mental disability.

Latest from Sky news.

....... Obesity Can Be 'Disability', Says EU Court

 

The verdict means overweight workers in the UK could claim they are technically disabled and seek compensation for discrimination.

 

You are confusing a number of things (as are the press). What the EU court has said is that firing someone who is obese because you feel they can not do their job due to said obesity is not allowed.

 

Furthermore:

 

It is for the national court to determine whether Mr Kaltoft’s obesity falls within the definition of ‘disability’.

 

So the national Danish court now gets to decide whether Mr. Kaltoft was fired on the grounds of obesity or not.

 

The ruling does not imply that those that are obese are automatically classed as disabled, however it does leave room for that interpretation. There is still a hell of a long way to go in that process though. Don't forget that the court can only rule on what was laid before them.

 

If obesity is seen as a disability, does that imply that employers now share responsibility to tackle obesity in their work-force? Is that a bad thing?

 

All this ruling does is raise countless further questions but the court did not have an option to avoid that, all it has said is that if Mr. Kaltoft was fired for being obese than the interpretation of the law has to be that this is equal to firing someone for being disabled.

 

Edit: Thus headlines like: "EU Rules obesity can be a disability" are rather useless, but sensational of course. Also note the CAN BE and then re-read your thread-title.

You are confusing a number of things (as are the press). What the EU court has said is that firing someone who is obese because you feel they can not do their job due to said obesity is not allowed.

 

Furthermore:

 

 

 

So the national Danish court now gets to decide whether Mr. Kaltoft was fired on the grounds of obesity or not.

 

The ruling does not imply that those that are obese are automatically classed as disabled, however it does leave room for that interpretation. There is still a hell of a long way to go in that process though. Don't forget that the court can only rule on what was laid before them.

 

If obesity is seen as a disability, does that imply that employers now share responsibility to tackle obesity in their work-force? Is that a bad thing?

 

All this ruling does is raise countless further questions but the court did not have an option to avoid that, all it has said is that if Mr. Kaltoft was fired for being obese than the interpretation of the law has to be that this is equal to firing someone for being disabled.

 

Edit: Thus headlines like: "EU Rules obesity can be a disability" are rather useless, but sensational of course. Also note the CAN BE and then re-read your thread-title.

You are playing with ifs and buts!...........just hold fire and see how this all pans out!

You are playing with ifs and buts!...........just hold fire and see how this all pans out!

 

You mean I don't condone you posting that obesity WILL be classed as a disability? Too right.

Knowing our mad government obesity will be classed as an illness with full disability benefits and a bottomless of money to spend

 

But an illness like cancer will be reclassed as a sign of good health, which means these people will have to return to work and there will be no money for treatment and certainly no money in benefits for the sufferer

You mean I don't condone you posting that obesity WILL be classed as a disability? Too right.

I have not the slightest interest in what you do or don't condone!.......I will wait and see.

Mod Note

 

Link to article

I have not the slightest interest in what you do or don't condone!.......I will wait and see.

Doesn't look like you have had long to wait.

 

---------- Post added 18-12-2014 at 14:43 ----------

 

Stop sensationalising something that is really nothing of the kind you are blurting about.

 

Danish courts have referred a case about wrongful dismissal to the EU courts, the EU court will have a look to see whether it was a case of dismissal because the gentleman was overweight or, as the council claim, because there was a decline in the number of children at the daycare centre where he worked.

 

In the meantime some British 'expert' has claimed it MIGHT lead to obesity being seen as a disability.

 

Load of tosh, there is nothing of the kind in this case. If the EU decides the man was wrongfully dismissed because he was fat than so be it. The council pays and that is the end of the story.

 

Just because some lawyer has sniffed a chance of milking the proverbials out of this doesn't mean it is actually a story.

...............BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe's top court ruled on Thursday that obese people can be considered as disabled, meaning that they can be covered by an EU law barring discrimination at work.

 

The decision followed a question from a Danish court, which was reviewing a complaint of unfair dismissal brought by Karsten Kaltoft, a child-minder, against a Danish local authority.

 

Kaltoft, who never weighed less than 160 kilograms (352 pounds) during his employment, argued that his obesity was one of the reasons he lost his job and that this amounted to unlawful discrimination, an allegation the council denied.

 

The Court of Justice of the European Union was asked to rule on whether EU law forbids discrimination on the grounds of obesity or whether obesity could be considered a disability.

 

The Luxembourg-based court ruled that EU employment law did not specifically prohibit discrimination on the grounds of obesity, and that the law should not be extended to cover it.

 

However, the court said that if an employee's obesity hindered "full and effective participation of that person in professional life on an equal basis with other workers" then it could be considered a disability.

 

This, in turn, is covered by anti-discrimination legislation.

 

According to statistics from the World Health Organization, based on 2008 estimates, roughly 23 percent of European women and 20 percent of European men were obese.