Man sacked after being caught smoking at home &sSheet=-news-2005-12-03-ixnewstop.html By Kate Connolly in Berlin 03-12-2005
A German company has sacked one of its employees for smoking at home after hiring a detective to catch him in the act.
Sandro Beier was dismissed from his £19,000-a-year job with a Berlin printing company after being photographed smoking in his back garden.
The company, Laserline, which runs a rigorous health and fitness programme for its 100 staff, said Mr Beier, 42, had "defrauded" it by lying about his smoking habits.
It claimed that Mr Beier had signed an agreement, renewable every month, in which he stated that he did not smoke. In return he received a monthly bonus of £68.
"Tip-offs from his fellow workers led us to believe Mr Beier was not sticking to the rules, so we sent a detective to follow him to find out the truth," said Babett Deuse, an operations and risk management supervisor at Laserline.
"The rules were he was to tell us if he smoked. He defrauded us of some 1,200 euros £800 a year which is enough money for a family holiday. If someone steals from their company, it is normal that they are punished." The company introduced its radical no-smoking policy five years ago and abolished smoking areas last year. Two thirds of its staff are in the programme.
Laserline said its no-smoking incentives made economic sense, claiming that every full-time worker who smoked was losing an average of 12 work days a year in cigarette breaks. Smokers have to punch cards to clock their breaks.
Ed. That's a good idea, but outside of work hours the company can mind it's own business. I mean whatever next, someone spotted him in a burger joint in flagrant violation of the health policy? Does Mr Beier watch tv when the company thinks he should be out jogging?
Mr Beier's lawyer, Manfred TerhedebrYgge, said his client was "knocked back" after six years' service.
He said he suspected that the company had used the smoking rules in order to find a way around Germany's extremely stringent employment dismissal laws which often inhibit employers from taking on new staff.
"It is extraordinary that in modern Germany it is possible for your employer to spy on you at home," Mr TerhedebrYgge said.
Ed. This is a country that can lock you up for expressing views deemed to be "holocaust denial" don't forget, not to mention heavy fines if your dog gives what appears to be a "nazi salute"...surprised? I'm not...
At an employment tribunal in Berlin this week, which is due to conclude next month, Mr Beier admitted that he had smoked but only "when stressed", amounting to "maybe two or three cigarettes a year".
Mr TerhedebrYgge said when he was caught on camera by the detective, his client was "experiencing a particularly stressful situation and hadn't even known what he was doing".
Ed. He has to justify it? "Yes, I am a good citizen, Comrade..."
Mrs Deuse said Mr Beier had lied. "We're not normally interested in the private lives of our employees, but while others were sticking to the rules Mr Beier was flouting them. We had no choice but to sack him".
Ed. One wonders how much money the company wasted hiring the private privatess to chase Mr Beier around - let alone the invasion of privacy aspect. Mr TerhedebrYgge should walk all over these clowns...
-- Jim Union Against Multiculty
"Abolish Multiculty and String Up The Traitors!"
