Consider me disabled

In Europe, obesity can be equated with disability

BBC news: EU's top court may define obesity as a disability

The Court of Justice of the European Union (EU) is considering a case that could lead to employers being obliged to treat the obesity of their employees as a disability. According to the BBC, the Dane Karsten Kaltoft (KarstenKaltoft) weighing 160 kg was dismissed from kindergarten, according to the official version, due to a reduction in the number of pupils. However, according to Kaltoft, the reason for his dismissal was overweight. The former employee filed a lawsuit in a Danish court, which sought help from the EU Supreme Court in Luxembourg.

Karsten Kaltoft. Photos from the website bt.dk

According to experts, the court's decision will have significant consequences due to the increase in the number of obese people in Europe and other countries, including the United States. Thus, a survey conducted in the UK in 2012 showed that more than half of the adult population of the country are overweight or obese.

According to the plaintiff, bad habits led him to obesity, but fullness did not cause problems at work. In an interview, Kaltoft denied reports that because of his size, he is unable to bend down enough to tie children's shoelaces. "I can sit on the floor and play with them, so it doesn't create that kind of problem," he said. – We hope that the court will confirm that it is impossible to dismiss a fat person if he does his job properly."

The former educator worked in a kindergarten in Billund for the last 15 years and was dismissed, according to the employer, due to a decrease in the number of children entrusted to him. It is also known that in order to help their employee, the management of the institution paid him a three-month subscription to the gym. "I have been studying regularly. Of course, I couldn't run a marathon, but I did strength exercises," Kaltoft noted.

Now the court will have to decide whether, in connection with this precedent, amendments should be made to the EU Directive on equality at work, according to which discrimination on the basis of disability is considered illegal. According to Audrey Williams, an expert on labor discrimination issues from the Eversheds law firm, if judges decide to equate obesity with disability, employers may face new requirements, for example, to provide more parking space or expand the workplace for obese staff.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru18.06.2014