This week, service agency ISS put out a job posting where they searched for people who could clean rooms at Thon Hotel Gardermoen. This ad was shared in a Facebook group called Jobs in Oslo.
But there is one thing that stands out in the job ad. The job was for women only.
Romerix Bladewho first mentioned the case, was in contact with someone who responded forcefully to the post.
For Women Only: The city’s year of service wanted only women for the job. Photo: Fax: Romerikes Blad
I know the legislation well. This is not a law and it is clearly written into the Discrimination Act. My experience is that such obvious errors are very rare, the person in question told the newspaper.
Thon Hotel references ISS Service Agency for comment.
See their answer further down in the issue.
illegal
Attorney at the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombudsman, Elida Steinzdatter Andersen, saw the screenshot of the ad herself.
She told TV 2 that applying to candidates of a specific gender for such a position could violate the ban on gender discrimination in the Equality and Discrimination Act.
– Since this job posting with the subsequent clarification that the company only wanted women for the position has been drafted, we believe it is most likely illegal. And there is nothing in this case to indicate that it is necessary that the woman, and not the man, perform the labor tasks that lie in this position.
Illegal: An advertisement for a job like this is likely illegal, says Equality and Anti-Discrimination Enforcer Elida Steinzdatter Andersen. Photo: Thomas Eckhoff
The Gender Equality Ombudsman often receives inquiries about these job postings. For them, it is important to stress that this is usually not due to bad intentions on the part of the employers, but rather due to ignorance of the regulations.
– The reason why this is so strict in the legislation is the great consequences that it can have for individuals who are denied access to certain positions. We remind you that, as an obvious starting point, employers are not allowed to emphasize other characteristics such as age, race, job ability or outlook on life when applying to candidates for a position, she says.
Individuals who wish to apply for the position, but believe they do not qualify on the basis of gender or other grounds for discrimination, can file a complaint with the Court of Cassation if they want an assessment of whether their employer has violated the rules of gender equality and the Discrimination Act.
Employers with questions about how to design job advertisements to comply with discrimination regulations can contact the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombuds for guidance, Andersen says.
lies flat
Tonje Næss is the Director of Communications at ISS. It tells TV 2 that an error has occurred.
– She says we apologize for that.
Discrimination: Many responded that the service agency only wanted female staff at Thon Hotel Gardermoen. Photo: Lars Nyland/TV 2
On top of that, Næss says the post was quickly deleted, and it was followed up internally so the same thing wouldn’t happen again.
– This is not in line with our guidelines or values. On the contrary, diversity is something we are very concerned about at the International Space Station, and we work with actively, says Ness.
Elida Steinzdatter-Andersen of the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombuds thinks it’s a good thing they’re doing the cleaning, and acknowledges that this was a mistake.
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