"Io, malato di sclerosi multipla, licenziato perché ho fatto troppe assenze per curarmi"

"Not just being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, but also being fired. It's clear that I feel downgraded as a person, as a human being; I feel excluded from society." Cesare Votta, 52, from Catanzaro, discovered a few weeks ago, almost by chance, that he had been fired from Sieco, the company that manages waste collection for the municipality. Forced to move to Brescia because "I couldn't find the necessary treatment in Calabria," Votta took time off work after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2014. A cold shower that didn't, however, make him lose his sense of humor and wit, until, as he was about to leave for the Lombardy city, he realized he hadn't received his last paycheck. After asking for an explanation, Sieco informed him that he had been fired. "But they sent the dismissal letter to my address, but I'm domiciled in this house. It seemed very strange to me because I've received all the other suspension notices here regularly," Votta adds. "I interpreted it as the company's attempt to fire me." The dismissal letter is clear: the employee exceeded the sick leave period, which is the period of time during which, in the event of absence due to illness, an employee has the right to keep their job: 922 days of absence from 2015 to 2018 versus the 600 days required by law in the event of illness. "From a legal standpoint," explains Votta's lawyer, Biagio Vavalà, "the company can't afford to keep an employee who doesn't work; it's not a social security institution. But what we're contesting are the ways in which this dismissal was carried out. There are aspects of illegality that we will discuss in the appropriate forums." According to Vavalà: "The company didn't make much effort to find a suitable position for my client's illness. They unilaterally relegated the worker from driver, which was the profile for which he was hired, to garbage collector." An impossible job for someone who can't stand. "I'm not asking for money, far from it. I'm asking if it's possible to find a job that suits my skills and abilities. There are many office jobs I could do, on the toll-free number, at the call center," says Votta. And a final plea: "I'm 52 years old, I have multiple sclerosis, a wife and two children. Where am I going to look for another job?" http://youmedia.fanpage.it/video/aa/W...