HaRdCOREhARMREdUCER: Fired because of HIV positive, Letter to Jose Manuel Durao Barroso (EC)

Sign the INSANE petition against the discrimination of

To: EC President, Portuguese President and Prime-Minister

A kitchen chef at one of the SANA HOTEL group in Portugal has been fired due to the fact that he is HIV POSITIVE!!!

Sign the INSANE petition against the discrimination of
people living with AIDS/HIV

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 Relacao)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 Decease 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 Anibal Cavaco Silva, Prime-Minister Jose Socrates and Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, President of the European Comission.

Remember, it can be YOU tommorrow!

Thank you for your support.

DR. M. Rodrigues Pereira

HIV activist, founder and former President of ABRACO (Portugal's first HIV/AIDS NGO) ... and HIV POSITIVE for the past 16 years

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

Sign the INSANE petition against the discrimination of
people living with AIDS/HIV