«A kitchen chef at one of the SANA HOTEL group in Portugal has been fired due to the fact that he is HIV POSITIVE!!!
The chef got ill with Tuberculosis, took a leave of about one year for treatment, and then got back to work, in perfect health conditions.
The hotel’s management didn’t allow him to continue cooking when it was informed by the hotels MD that the man was HIV POSITIVE.The management then fired the chef, who had been working there for the past seven years.The worker complained to the portuguese Justice (Labor Court) and they confirmed
that the hotel had every right to fire its employe, due to the fact that he could endanger guests when manipulating the food.The chef submitted an appeal to the higher court (Tribunal da Relação) and the three judges confirmed the previous sentence, inspite of two medical expert advices that rulled out the possibility of contagion, as well as an official statementent from the US Center for Disease Control.
The worker has now an on-going appeal at the Supreme Court.
This type of ridiculous descrimination against any HIV POSITIVE person is not only silly, but absolutely intolerable under the portuguese constitutional law. It is also against every guideline regarding non-descrimination by the European Comission.
I therefore stress everybody to insurge against it by signing this petition that will be sent to His Excellencies President Aníbal Cavaco Silva, Prime-Minister José Socrates and José Manuel Durão Barroso, President of the European Comission.
Remember, it can be YOU tommorrow!
Thank you for your support.
DR. M. Rodrigues Pereira*»
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* HIV activist, founder and former President of ABRAÇO (Portugal’s first HIV/AIDS NGO) … and HIV POSITIVE for the past 16 years
