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posted by janrinok on Monday June 16 2014, @12:01AM   Printer-friendly
from the a-big-problem dept.

Employers in Europe may soon have a duty to create reserved car parking spaces for obese staff, or adjust the office furniture for them as BBC reports that the European Court of Justice is considering a test case of a male nanny who says he was fired for being too fat - a ruling that could oblige employers to treat obesity as a disability. Employment expert Audrey Williams says the judges would have to decide "whether obesity itself should trigger preferential rights, or should only impact where an individual, due to obesity, has other recognized medical issues. Employers would have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to the workplace or working arrangements," says Williams. "This might include a review of where the employee is located and their seating arrangements, or even preferential access to car parking."

The US Equal Opportunity Commission already defines obesity as being a disability, under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act. In a recent case involving morbid obesity, a Texan employee who weighed more than 680 pounds received $55,000 in compensation for being dismissed. In October 2009, the man was told to report to human resources where officials told him the company had reached the conclusion he could no longer "perform his job duties because of his weight and he was therefore terminated," the suit said. Ronald Kratz, who had gotten two promotions and high performance ratings over his 16-year-career, insists his weight did not interfere with his ability to perform his job duties as a parts sorter. Kratz, who lost over three hundred pounds since he was fired, has not been able to find another job despite sending out numerous applications, and his unemployment benefits have run out. "It has been really hard on the family."

 
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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Lagg on Monday June 16 2014, @08:02AM

    by Lagg (105) on Monday June 16 2014, @08:02AM (#55822) Homepage Journal

    I'm happy that soylent is one of the few open forums left or you might just be hate-downmodded and told that you're "fat hating". But yeah, I'm not overweight as far as I know but I still try my damnedest to exercise and otherwise be healthy despite having severe pain from a bad surgery and back problems. I'd like to think that someone who is obese can at least put the effort forth to do the same. Or at the very least not act like they're victims. I know a few big people and their reaction to being fat is saying "yes I'm fat and that's my responsibility, go away" and one of them say that and at the same time try to exercise. So all I'm seeing here is professional victims, the worst of which are the ones lately trying to use a disaster as an excuse. Like the few people who were suing (people in america, mind you) because fukushima made them obese. I guess one can say this is expected from 'murikans but don't a lot of europeans like to pretend they're above such things as being fat?

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