Footnote: ESG Goals ⚭ Covid Activism, UDATED
While the Joanneum has rescinded its Vaxx prerequisite policy, the State of Vienna doubles down on it--on 27 April 2023 (!!!). Sigh.
About a month ago, I brought something truly absurd to your attention:
Work at the Joanneum Museum in Graz, Styria…
We are committed to the equality and equity of all people, regardless of their biological gender and their gender identity, and as an employer we wish to shape an open and appreciative corporate culture.
Therefore, we actively oppose any discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, religion or belief, age, sexual orientation/identity, and health-related factors.
Applicants with proof of a COVID 19 vaccination will be given preference in the case of equal professional suitability.
For further particulars, please check out the following posting:
Now, there has been some ‘development’ (ahem) in this sordid affair.
My Enquiry to the Joanneum, 25 March 2023
(translation below)
I would like to ask you how the claim to ‘actively oppose any discrimination based on…health-related factors’ is to be understood in connection with the reference that ‘applicants with proof of a COVID 19 vaccination will be given preference in the case of equal professional suitability’.
Is this not discrimination?
What about the treatment of applicants with medically certified exemptions from Covid-19 injections (e.g., because of the risk of allergic reactions)?
What are the scientific foundations on which this personnel policy is based?
Who within the Universalmuseum Joanneum is ultimately responsible for this personnel policy?
The Joanneum Answers (A Month Later)
Here is the answer I received last week (again, my translation and emphases):
The Universalmuseum Joanneum is wholly owned by the State [Land] of Styria and for this reason has also adopted state policies related to Corona vaccination that are essentially similar for new employees of both the museum and the State of Styria. The federal government’s Covid-19 Mandate Regulation [Maßnahmenverordnung] is in force until the end of April. However, due to the current epidemiological situation, the management of the Universalmuseum Joanneum GesmbH has decided to end the preferential treatment of Covid-19 vaccinated applicants with immediate effect. It can be stated that preferential treatment of vaccinated applicants for jobs at the Universalmuseum Joanneum has never been applied, because it would only have been applied to equally qualified applicants. We hope that we have answered your question.
Bottom Lines
Can you smell this stench? It’s tyranny coupled with fear.
As the Universalmuseum admits, there has been ‘preferential' treatment’ based on the willingness to submit to Covid-19 injections, albeit irrespective of the ‘expiry date’ of the Covid Passports.
Moreover, I was unaware of the legal concept—that is, after 8/9 May 1945—of considering health-related individual decisions as tantamount to a ‘qualification’ (perhaps I’m too old-fashioned to think that way, but it only shows a willingness to comply with whatever arbitrary demands are imposed from above, but perhaps that’s the point…)
Finally, with the government’s problematic regulatory foundations ending in a few days, it’s perhaps no coincidence that this ‘policy’ was rescinded just a week or so before it might have resulted in lawsuits.
At least the Universalmuseum Joanneum has removed this incendiary and, frankly, illegal and immoral passage from its vacancy website.
The same, sadly, cannot be said about the Vienna State Government, as reported today, 27 April 2023 (!!!), by the tabloid Heute:
‘A varied and interesting job in a growing organisation in an extremely nice team and an excellent working atmosphere’—this is what the job advertisement of the Board of Trustees for Psychosocial Services in Vienna promises. Specifically, they are looking for an employee for the area of procurement.
For at least 3,300 Euros (before taxes) per month on a full-time basis, a ‘safe and stable working environment’ is offered, as well as further training and qualification opportunities and consideration for different life situations. Keywords include home office and flexible working time arrangements.
Apart from requirements that are completely obvious for the job, such as commercial training, experience in comparable positions, and a ‘pro-active, independent, friendly, and structured way of working’, one point, however, stands out: ‘Covid-19 vaccination is a job prerequisite or must be received prior to employment.’
At some point in time, these particular chicken will come home to roost.
I suspect special tribunals are in order.
If needs be, I’d volunteer my woodworking skills.
I have very poor carpentry skills, although the toy pig pen I built out of restaurant chopsticks years ago held up nicely, but I too would happily volunteer my carpentry skills.
Discrimination like this has a long tradition here in Germany, when it comes to state officials (Beamte, and this includes teachers). Basically, if you're too fat, you won't get Beamten status, and remain ordinary employee. Every company with policies like this would drown in discrimination lawsuits.