• Sweden edition

Waitress demands sick pay for boob op

Published: 15 Jul 10 16:28 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/27812/20100715/

A waitress who works on a Baltic Sea ferry is suing her employers after they refused to give her sick pay while she was recovering from cosmetic breast surgery.

The waitress, who was born in 1981, took two weeks off from work last autumn to recover from the operation, which she admits was not for medical reasons. When the ferry company, Viking Line, found out why she had taken sick leave, bosses refused to give her sick pay and docked the time from her holiday allowance.

Now, union bosses are taking Viking Line to the labour court. Documents submitted to the court this week and seen by The Local show that the union is demanding over 185,000 kronor in damages and compensation for lost wages. Of that, 85,000 kronor is for the waitress and 100,000 for the union.

Dag Gustavsson, press secretary for Transportgruppen, the employer’s organization representing ferry companies, says the law is quite clear:

“The Seaman’s Act states that a seaman is not entitled to sick pay if he or she has deliberately caused him or herself an injury. This was a cosmetic operation, and therefore the injury should be seen as self-inflicted,” he told The Local.

According to the woman’s union, Seko, the fact that the woman’s injuries were self-inflicted is irrelevant, and does not believe that maritime law should apply.

“An operation is an operation, and you should get the same sick pay for that whether you work on sea or land,” Seko’s Mats Ekeklint told The Local.

James Savage (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)

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17:09 July 15, 2010 by voiceofreason
The Union has no stake in the company's profitability, except for the workers pay.

I am sure they don't mind everyone staying home doing nothing and still being paid anyway.
17:12 July 15, 2010 by villjobba
The woman should be fired and her job given to me
18:23 July 15, 2010 by GefleFrequentFlyer
Come on guys! Think outside of the box! She was just away installing self-contained floatation devices, necessary for her duty on the sea!
18:41 July 15, 2010 by calebian22
Wouldn't the country of registry for the boat, trump the Seaman's Act?
23:03 July 15, 2010 by Da Goat
I think she was not actually sick during the two weeks one would think you need to be sick!

however if you had published a photo of the offending person we could then judge if the job is fully "sick" if it was a good job and she is fully sick now then by all means pay the lass, as frequent flyer says it could be advantageous to her employment she may be a better employee both in looks and in confidence!
00:03 July 16, 2010 by waffen
She was doing something that can only inhance her job, and thus the ship line's profits, so she is an asset to the company.

The money that they will pay her in sick pay will be made-up with the money that is spent by the appreciative male diners.

This is a bit like paying a consultant, only she is a full-time consultant advertising her wares as she does her job. Happy male diners spend more.

Everyone profits.

What is the problem with that?
04:14 July 16, 2010 by Irishmanabroad
"Hi, I need some time off work because I shot myself in my foot with my own gun intentionally. I need you to pay me for it"

"ok, fair enough"

No, it wouldn't happen that way, you would be sacked for being an idiot!
04:37 July 16, 2010 by Canada_Girl
This woman she be fired not only for wasting company time but other resources, as well. Imagine fighting because you didn't get paid after getting an elective vanity surgery. Ridiculous.
13:07 July 16, 2010 by kenny8076
measurements?!?! i mean come on!!
14:34 July 16, 2010 by Tiddler
Organised labour is a racket, always has been, and this case is no different to the Mafia in Italy or the USA, for example.

100K SEK to the Union and 85k SEK to the woman, there is nothing more that needs saying.
14:08 July 19, 2010 by J Jack
Probably a psychological shock illness of getting used to the new jugs. 2 weeks standing in front of the mirror may also cause some pain in the feet.
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