It looks like the Bank Holiday weekend in Ireland has resulted in many people missing a big European Union fuss about potential job discrimination against smokers. The issue arose from a query to the European Commission about the legality of an Irish job ad that barred smokers from consideration:
European Labour and Social Affairs Commissioner Vladimir Spidla told Stihler [MEP] that an EU anti-discrimination law only targeted sex, sexual orientation, age, handicap, race or ethnic origin and religion or beliefs, and that therefore smoking was not included.
At the very least, the answer has triggered considerable confusion, and French and Italian unions have already reacted angrily to possible implications, especially regarding health status discrimination. There was a story about it on Monday evening's 8pm news in France, and one didn't need the subtitles to translate the disdainful look of persons-in-the-street asked what they thought about smoking as something that could be a bar to a job. [you can watch the segment for a few days here, go to the editions precedentes drop-down menu, select 7th August and then the story "Recrutement des fumeurs en entreprises"]
It's hard to tell whether this is a classic silly season story or if it does involve a new front in the War on Smokers.
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