Council wants too ban smoking during working hours for all employees

The municipality of Stavanger is considering introducing a ban on smoking for all its employees during working hours sometime next year.

The ban could also cover outside areas, including outside public buildings. If introduced, the ban would make it illegal for council workers carrying out maintenance work in public parks, or council workers working on road construction projects, to light up a cigarette during their lunch break.

Member of the city council in Stavanger, Inger Østensjø, writes in a memo sent out to politicians and all employees, that the dangers of smoking are well known and well documented.

- Smoking causes early deaths, serious illnesses and leads to a lower work attendance. It’s a personal victory for all those who manage to quit smoking, she says.

Chairman of the local branch of FRP (The Progress Party), Trond Birkedal promises to fight this proposal which he labels ‘Nanny State tactics’.

- This is too much. People have the right to decide whether they want to smoke or not. Is the council going to start checking people’s lunch boxes too, to ensure that their employees are only eating healthy foods?

Larvik and Levanger are the only two municipalities in Norway that have introduced similar bans.

Source VG Nett