In these modern times when we are all so aware of the environment around us it made me laugh to view a piece in the Times the other day about why 3 Non-Smokers got fired from their jobs for grumbling about smoking. The incident took place in Germany and while it is forbidden to smoke in pubs and restaurants, much like the UK, German law still allows smoking for people working in small offices.
This weird and wonderful case has raised many eyebrows in todays more anti-smoking establishment. If it were to have happened a few years back there would hardly have been a whimper about the case, in fact would there have even been a case.
The owner of the firm, thrust into the German public eye, stands firm. “Smokers have always been our best employees. Non-smokers interfere with corporate peace”, he stated, “They just complained all the time about smoking, and I don’t like grumblers”.
The workplace can be a foreign environment sometimes, sure its governed by the laws and regulations of the land but many times there are internal rules that fly-in-the-face of common sense. We understand at The Injury Lawyers what employees can be made to do and if you ever suffer from an Accident at Work then call us and we’ll deal with your situation in a professional and understanding manner.
Full article in The Times can be found here.