Trans Global Migration
+27 11 807 9245/7
Trans Global Migration |
+27 11 807 9245/7 |
|
|
|
|||
|
'Tiny' upset obesity rules him out of driver's jobDate: March 16, 2009 "Tiny" Wayne Muir, who weighs 160kg, is upset his obesity allows bus company Go Wellington to legally rule him out of a driver's job. Three times he has applied, and three times he has been rejected, on the grounds he is too heavy, The Dominion Post newspaper reported today. After three decades driving heavy trucks and buses, Mr Muir -- "Tiny" to his friends -- was put out of action in 2006 by osteomyelitis, an aggressive bone infection. His left leg was amputated below the knee and, during his recovery, his weight crept up to 177kg. After losing 17kg, he wanted to go back to a job he loves, but in each rejection letter Go Wellington has said it can reject applicants it believed weighed too much. Mr Muir accepted he will never be a small man, but he has a driver's licence and medical clearance to work. "I get frustrated going to Winz all the time and picking up the papers, and seeing these ads for bus drivers," he told The Dominion Post. Under the Human Rights Act, disability cannot be used as a ground for discrimination, but weight alone can. Go Wellington spokesman Zane Fulljames said the company had special dispensation from the Human Rights Commission to reject applicants whose weight exceeded 125kg. Only last month, an American woman who tipped the scales at 135kg was refused residency in New Zealand because of her weight and health. A medical assessor for Immigration New Zealand said there was a relatively high probability she would cost the health service more than the threshold $25,000 over the next four years. She was at high risk of developing heart disease, arthritis, cancer, gout or increased blood pressure, the assessor said.
Back to TG Migration Home |
|
 |
||||
|
||||
 |
||||
