The paramount consideration in the
appointment, transfer or promotion of
staff shall be the necessity of securing
the highest standards of efficiency, competence,
and integrity, and you better not
be a smoker.
When I first heard rumours that there would
be a phrase on the WHO Vacancy Notice to say
that WHO does not recruit smokers, I truly
believed that it would never happen, that
eventually reason would take the upper
hand.
I am not a smoker. However, this
phrase smacks of discrimination (but I
am made to understand that smokers are
not a protected class) and as a human
being who believes in personal freedom, I
am alarmed. We are not a private company
we are a public service, a public
service who supposedly defends human rights and not made to
behave like some character out of an Orwellian novel.
Now, I do tend to be on the chubby side. With Weight Watchers
coming into WHO and other UN organizations to control the
weight of its staff, will this put those of us who are a bit on the
heavy side in danger of being excluded from these institutions.
Or will that glass of wine be the culprit? What will be next?
Unacceptable life styles? Testing of urine for chemical substances?
Drugs? Chronic diseases? Unsafe sex?
As the Vacancy Notices have gone up, I presume the legal
repercussion and implication of this decision have been fully
studied and analysed by the Legal Office. I am truly amazed that
WHO would take such a drastic action. Surely, we are opening
ourselves to future legal actions. What perplexes me
is the recruitment/selection process. How will the question
be formulated during the interview? Will the secret
smoker (if selected) then be summarily dismissed for fraudulent
behaviour or serious misconduct, if ever he was
caught at the local Migros puffing away, or lighting up on
the way out of his parking place?
Yes, WHO has a mission — to rid the world of smokers
and users of tobacco; but to stop individuals from
their right to employment because of a habit, that to my knowledge
is still legal, is absurd and just does not seem the right
way to go.
