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  1. #1
    Thailand Expat DrWilly's Avatar
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    Man fired for being too fat considers litigation as a breach of his hooman rights

    New jobs, a new house and a new life are what awaited the Griffin family when they left Queensland and drove more than 3,000km to their new home in Tasmania over the Christmas holidays.
    Key points:


    • Hamish Griffin and his family moved from Queensland to Tasmania for work
    • On his first day, Mr Griffin was fired for being overweight
    • He is now considering whether the act was a violation of his human rights



    But suitcases had barely been unzipped before the family were told to pack up and leave.
    After just two hours into their new roles as managers of the Big 4 Strahan Holiday Retreat, Hamish and Hazel Griffin were fired.
    Now, Mr Griffin, who managed a caravan park in Cloncurry in north-west Queensland prior to the move, believes the decision violated his human rights.
    He urged others to "do their homework" before taking up a new job.


    Hamish and his eight-year-old son Freddie.(Supplied: Hamish Griffin)While helping to move a sofa from a shed at the park, Mr Griffin said he was told his weight would prevent him from being able to carry out his duties.
    "I was told I couldn't do the job because I was too fat. I was told I wouldn't be able to push a lawn mower or climb a ladder," he said.
    "I've been a park manager in north-west Queensland for eight years — I've been doing the job for eight years."
    Mr Griffin said that, while he understood there would be a need to undertake such tasks every now and then, he was not being employed as a grounds keeper or maintenance operator.
    "It was a management position," he said.
    "Sure, you have urgent situations where you might be short-staffed, or you might have to go and give somebody a hand, which is what I've been doing for the last eight years on a bigger property, in harsher conditions."


    Hamish Griffin has been managing caravan parks for eight years.(Supplied: Hamish Griffin)What shocked Mr Griffin was that he had conducted video interviews and sent photos of himself and his family to the employers.
    "They'd seen me, they knew what I looked like," he said.
    Park owners told the ABC that Mr Griffin's sacking was due to a workplace health issue and there were concerns Mr Griffin would harm himself while working in the park.
    They said Mr Griffin had withheld a health condition from employers.
    "Why would I tell them? Carrying a few extra kilos, in my mind, is not going to inhibit me and hasn't inhibited me for the last eight years to carry out my duties as a manager of a park," Mr Griffin said.


    The journey by road and sea crossing is more than 3,000 kilometres. (Datawrapper)Crushing blow

    The family, who had spent one night in their new house, packed up their car and left.
    "It was just such a shock: the evening before, the boss and his wife had visited us and welcomed us with a bottle of wine. That morning, my son had been playing by the stream," Mr Griffin said.
    "We were basking in this paradise that was going to be our new home, and now I had to think about where we were going to sleep that night.
    "This was not just a new job we'd lost. This was the loss of a new life. We had moved for a new life."


    Mr Griffin's eight-year-old son, Freddie.(Supplied: Hamish Griffin)Mr Griffin said the hardest part was telling his son, Freddie.
    "The look on that little boy's face, who was hunting for platypus in the stream, when I told him to get back in the car, the look on my wife's face — I wish they [the park owners] could have felt what I felt at that moment.
    "He has ripped my life apart: he has ripped my heart out.
    "I've lived out in Queensland's west most of my life. I've worked in Afghanistan. I've travelled the world. I've raised a family, but this has just absolutely floored me."
    Find more local news



    Employee rights

    Mr Griffin is seeking legal advice to investigate whether there were any breaches of contract and, further, any breaches of discrimination acts or the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986.
    NB Lawyers director Jonathan Mamaril said while there were no laws in Australia that prevented employers from sacking an employee for being overweight, there were grounds to fight discrimination based on a physical impairment or a medical condition.
    "In this matter, the employers made the point that this is potentially a medical condition," Mr Mamaril said.
    "The problem with that type of comment is that it's a perception, and just the mere perception is simply not good enough. You need actual medical evidence to back that up.
    "For the role of a manager, it's going to be very difficult for the employer to say that a person carrying a bit of extra weight is going to cause a health and safety risk."
    Obese nurse reinstated after 'harsh, unjust' termination

    A nurse fired because she was so overweight she could not complete all her duties has her job reinstated and will be paid for the almost three years she has been without a job.





    Read more


    Warning to others

    While Mr Griffin believed there was nothing he could have done to change the outcome, he urged others to be diligent and do their homework when considering new employment.
    "I just don't want this to happen to anybody else," he said.
    "There was nothing really that I think that I could have asked or done better.
    "But in terms of advice for anybody else, all I would say is, please, just do your homework, do as much research as you can on the company and your rights."


    https://www.xxx.xxx.xx/news/2022-01-21/hamish-griffin-fired-from-big-4-for-being-too-fat/100769978

    link

    not sure why abc . net . au turns into xxx.xxx.xx

  2. #2
    Excommunicated baldrick's Avatar
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    I read that this morning - it is a bit fcuked they got him to move his family all the way there and then decide he is too fat

  3. #3
    Thailand Expat Backspin's Avatar
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    The guy is a fat lunchbucket. But that is a shit move by the company. I would be worried about the structural integrity of my ladders too. But goddamn.

    He says that he sent a video of himself working that the company seen. I think what happened here is that HR hired the guy. And then he shows up and it was the first time someone in upper management seen him. Still a total cvnt move.

  4. #4
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    He was hired for a managerial position in a holiday retreat, not as a fucking Derrickman on an offshore drilling rig! I feel sorry for the bloke and hope someone else who needs a manager with his skills picks up on the story and reaches out to offer him a job.

  5. #5
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    That’s a pretty awful thing to do to someone, have them up sticks and move across the continent to be fired. Hope he gets a good lawyer.

  6. #6
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    the obese, (unless their obesity is a direct result of an underlying health condition), have little in the way of self respect or sense of responsibility, are prone to mental health issues, illnesses and therefore time off work.

    and if they cant look after themselves then their suitability for managerial roles must be suspect.

    if the company policy is not to employ fatties, then they should have been more diligent before offering him the post, and after he and his family had gone to the trouble of travelling 3000kms then they should not be firing him but helping him and enrolling him on a weight loss programme.

    he probably does have grounds for compensation, but the betting is the slob would just spend it all on pizza and chocolate.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by baldrick View Post
    I read that this morning - it is a bit fcuked they got him to move his family all the way there and then decide he is too fat
    If he'd walked there and done a few press ups every couple of miles, he'd still be in a job.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by taxexile View Post
    the obese, (unless their obesity is a direct result of an underlying health condition), have little in the way of self respect or sense of responsibility, are prone to mental health issues, illnesses and therefore time off work.

    and if they cant look after themselves then their suitability for managerial roles must be suspect.

    if the company policy is not to employ fatties, then they should have been more diligent before offering him the post, and after he and his family had gone to the trouble of travelling 3000kms then they should not be firing him but helping him and enrolling him on a weight loss programme.

    he probably does have grounds for compensation, but the betting is the slob would just spend it all on pizza and chocolate.
    Jeezus Taxi That was just plain nasty. I have two sons one who is slim and one who is overweight. He has battled this all his life since he was a baby. He goes to the gym and as a car mechanic does not have a sedentary life. You dont know what many overweight people go through. Thats before the jokes from ignorant kunts like you. Walk a mile in their shoes you fooking smart arse. What a nasty petty minded little man you are.

  9. #9
    Thailand Expat Backspin's Avatar
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    Some ppl's body type is more prone to gaining weight it seems.

    But at the same time , I've known some fat ppl that I observed poor eating habits from. Driving through McDonald's with one of them once. The guy ordered a large coke (huge fucker) and a large ice-cream Mcflurry. I couldn't believe it. The same guy also always had a bag of gummy bears and shit in his truck.

    I noticed another one of them eat a whole large bag of chips in one sitting.

  10. #10
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    The time to make the decision that he was too fat was when they hired him, once they gave him the job, they should had given him a shot. and then if he could not to the job they should had fired him.
    He made a substantial investment based on their promise of a job to go there and they need to make him whole.
    They had an implied contract and the employer is not performing, since they did not give him a chance to perform, they are the only party to that contract who is not performing.
    If his lawyer is any good he has an excellent case.
    The sooner you fall behind, the more time you have to catch up.

  11. #11
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai View Post
    they need to make him whole.
    His wholeness is the problem.

  12. #12
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hugh Cow View Post
    Jeezus Taxi That was just plain nasty. I have two sons one who is slim and one who is overweight. He has battled this all his life since he was a baby. He goes to the gym and as a car mechanic does not have a sedentary life. You dont know what many overweight people go through. Thats before the jokes from ignorant kunts like you. Walk a mile in their shoes you fooking smart arse. What a nasty petty minded little man you are.
    Tax is a bit of a miserable c u n t in fairness. He's never happier than when he's spitting feathers.

  13. #13
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    hugh cow
    You dont know what many overweight people go through. Thats before the jokes from ignorant kunts like you. Walk a mile in their shoes you fooking smart arse. What a nasty petty minded little man you are.
    actually HC, i have walked in those shoes.

    when i was younger i weighed over 95 kilos and had a bmi of around 30, probably due to sitting all day at work and laziness when it came to exercise. one day i slipped a disc in my back, the doc. told me it was as a result of all the weight i was carrying, his actual words were " its because you are a fat bastard " and told me i was heading towards becoming diabetic along with a host of other health problems that would seriously impinge on my life.... heart, lungs, circulation, knees, hips, eyesight, etc.etc. i remember the consultation almost word for word because he was so blunt and insulting about my appearance and lifestyle. but everything he said was 100% true.

    i soon embarked on an exercise programme, i swam 40 lengths every day before work and soon got my weight down from 95 to 75 kilos and a bmi of 22, where it has remained to this day, i stopped smoking, cut out alcohol and although i still enjoy my food i watch my intake and eat a much more balanced diet, but rarely deny myself, and i also exercise every day. once you start exercising, it becomes hard to stop.

    i still maintain that fat people are mostly lazy and unwilling to change their habits, or maybe they just don't care enough to want to change. if your son is as active as you say he is, is eating sensibly ( especially with regard to fried food, carbs and sugars) and still gaining weight then perhaps some blood testing of his hormone levels might reveal the reason for this.




    Tax is a bit of a miserable c u n t in fairness. He's never happier than when he's spitting feathers.
    nonsense.

  14. #14
    Thailand Expat DrWilly's Avatar
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    Tax the athlete, well I never!

  15. #15
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    Hair today, crown tomorrow

    US House passes Crown Act which would end hair discrimination

    A ban on race-based hair discrimination in the United States is a step closer after a vote in Congress.

    The House of Representatives passed the legislation which seeks to end discrimination against natural hair at work and school.

    The Crown (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) Act must still be approved by the Senate.

    President Joe Biden has urged lawmakers to swiftly pass the law.

    Black Americans say they are often treated unfairly at work and in schools because of their natural hair textures or protective styles like braids, knots, twists and locs.

    If the Crown Act becomes law, natural hair discrimination would be treated as if it were race or national origin discrimination under federal civil rights law.

    Until then, advocates say that employers and institutions can discriminate against black Americans based on how they style their natural hair.

    Adjoa B Asamoah, legislative strategist for the CROWN Coalition, praised Friday's vote in the House, but acknowledged a potential uphill battle in the Senate.

    "There's the shift in policy and then there's a shift in culture," Ms Asamoah said.

    "This is about confronting this Eurocentric standard of beauty, tackling anti-blackness, and lifting the natural African aesthetic. The diversity of Blackness is beautiful."

    The CROWN Coalition partners with more than 85 organisations to pass statewide bans on hair discrimination, and advocate for the bill nationally.

    Just on Thursday, the Massachusetts House of Representatives unanimously voted to advance its bill to its state senate.

    A third of black children in majority-white schools have faced race-based hair discrimination, according to a 2021 study by DOVE and the CROWN Coalition. The survey found 86% of children say they have experienced it by the age of 12.

    more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60798834

  16. #16
    Elite Mumbler
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    ^
    Does that mean long haired freaky people can now apply?

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by pickel View Post
    ^Does that mean long haired freaky people can now apply?
    Depends on whether they are flaunting their

    Quote Originally Posted by malmomike77 View Post
    Eurocentric standard of beauty

  18. #18
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hugh Cow View Post
    Jeezus Taxi That was just plain nasty.
    It's what he does, ie be an utter [at][at][at][at].

    Good to see there is some humanity left on this forum though.

  19. #19
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    ^^re: Eurocentric standards of beauty - I think this is a real thing. I don't know if I'll approve of legislation re: hair, though.

    Still re: hair, I have several friends (current and former) as well as colleagues who have their hair regularly straightened or what they call as "rebonding".

    Heck, I've even straightened my hair twice (once jn my 20s, another a few years ago. I had to endure 3+ hours in the salon, waiting for the chemicals to do their thing on my hair. I did that even if my hair isn't curly. I just wanted to grow my hair longer and have it very straight, "salontastic hair" as the adverts say. The problem with these rebonding chemicals is they damage the hair and/ or scalp. Straightening hair via hot iron also damages hair. Even blow-drying with hot air also damages hair. Now my hair is in its natural state, straight but with a bit of bounce.

    I don't know if hair straightening is common among Thais but it's common here in PH. We Filipinos have more genes for curly hair because of our "out of Africa" ancestors. We still have tribes/ indigenous groups who look more African than Malay/ SE Asian (the tribes of Aetas, Ati, Mangyan, etc.). Over time, the tribes intermarried with the lowlanders.

    There are many "lowland" Filipinos who have curly or wavy hair. My dad and his mom (my grandma) had wavy hair. Sometimes the curliness isn't orderly (not Disney Princess waves), so the women (and some men) have their hair straightened. However, one looks a bit funny when after ~3 months, the new curly hair starts to grow but the ends are straight.

    I also think some curly haired people (here in PH) are discriminated or bullied. They face more bullying if they're curly haired AND dark. They get called names, become the butt of jokes, etc. I think that's unfair because we're all humans, we're all people.

    Re: the African Americans, yes many of them (esp women) straighten their hair to get into the job market, etc.

    Michelle Obama, her daughters, Oprah W - I bet they all straighten their hair.

    Even Duchess Kate straightens her hair. I've seen pics (paparazzi) of her on some beach - her hair was a lot curlier. She must have stylists who straighten her hair everyday to get those Disney Princess waves.
    Last edited by katie23; 19-03-2022 at 02:37 PM. Reason: Added opinion

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by malmomike77 View Post
    The Crown (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) Act
    Katie, i fear it will be some time before the Fils catches up with the trend setters in the US and you can walk unashamedly around the supermarket without self consciously tugging your waves.

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hugh Cow View Post
    JWalk a mile in their shoes you fooking smart arse. What a nasty petty minded little man you are.
    At least he’d be a mile away and he’d have his shoes. Not much chance of the fat bastard catching him.

  22. #22
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    @mike - I also think that the legislation is silly. But the issue exists - that curly haired people are forced/ presssured by society to have straight hair or orderly, Disney Princess waves.

    Nicole Kidman had very curly hair in her early days. I've seen her say in an interview (with Graham Norton) that she now regrets straightening her hair, because it never went back to what it was before.

    Meghan Markle also straightens her hair - I've seen her pics as a kid. But let's not discuss her.

    So let's be honest - would you take Michelle Obama, Oprah or Duchess Kate seriously if they have curly/ frizzy hair? Do you think they would've been successful/ popular if they let their hair run au naturel?

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by malmomike77 View Post
    Hair today, crown tomorrow

    US House passes Crown Act which would end hair discrimination




    President Joe Biden has urged lawmakers to swiftly pass the law.

    Black Americans say they are often treated unfairly at work and in schools because of their natural hair textures or protective styles .




    more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60798834
    FFS Children and women are being slaughtered wholesale in Ukraine and the leader of the free world “ sleepy Joe” is worried about cvnts haircuts.

    The world has gone crazy.

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by cyrille View Post
    It's what he does, ie be an utter [at][at][at][at].

    Good to see there is some humanity left on this forum though.
    there was nothing nasty whatsoever about my comment.

    in the majority of cases obesity is a direct result of gluttony, laziness and a lack of self control.

    but of course in todays upside down world, pointing out the obvious will result in being accused of the abhorrent hate crime of fat-shaming by todays army of easily offended snowflakes who see themselves as victims of, ... well victims of just about everything, so long as their sense of responsibility is never questioned. the food industry, the advertising industry, social media, and of course todays buzzword .. mental health issues, i.e. the depression, anxiety and low self esteem resulting from their stubborn inability to see that their fat arses, wobbling bellies and clogged arteries are nobodys fault but their own and that it is their lack of self control that prevents them from adjusting their diet and becoming more active.

    it doesnt take an einstein to understand that in order to survive in todays cut throat food market the producers need their product to be fat rich, sugar rich and involve the minimal of preparation in order to hook the customer into coming back time and time again and this feeds into the lifestyle of the sedentary glutton and the naturally lazy. i.e. the food producers target market.

    unless one is in some way medically compromised there is no excuse whatsoever to be obese, obesity is an outward sign showing just how little self respect one has for ones body, their loved ones or the unfortunate carers who will have to wipe the drool off their chins and the shit off their arses in old age.

  25. #25
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    ^
    You only have to look at the pictures circa 1945 of the poor souls in Auschwittz - where were the fat fucks then with the under active thyroid glands?

    There weren’t any!!

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