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“His opinions do not have the authority of a court ruling but it puts
employers in a stronger position when it comes to refusing to employ
smokers.”
The decision has been widely criticised by pro-smoking groups who say it’s
an infringement of human rights because people should be free to do
whatever they like in their own time.
Sally Laughton
said: “It is something of a grey area and raises interesting questions as
to how far employers can go in discriminating against certain groups. For
example, there’s already growing evidence that many employers are
reluctant to employ people who are overweight.
“A
recent survey found that 93 per cent of 2000 firms questioned would rather
appoint a job applicant of normal weight than someone who was obese but
otherwise had the same qualifications and level of experience.
“Ten per cent of firms were even reluctant to let an obese employee meet a
client. This could become a major issue in future.”
Meanwhile, Sally Laughton said there could be more bad news on the way for
smokers. The European Commission is considering regulations to protect
employees from the effects of passive smoking. If that happens then
employers might become even more reluctant to employ smokers.
Contact Sally on 0115 9886736 for more information.
Email :
Sally Laughton | 
