As public servants face cuts, one raises a stink about office aroma

Working in the public service stinks, apparently.

A Citizenship and Immigration employee has missed hundreds of hours of work over nearly a decade, claiming the smell of cologne and perfume at the office is so strong he just can’t take it.

At a time when public servants are fearing they may be next to be told their jobs have been eliminated via government-wide spending cuts, temporary resident visa processor Terrence Juba has kept his for years despite calling in sick as much as possible.

“Mr. Juba said that he has been absent from work for hundreds of hours,” states a Public Service Labour Relations Board report released Tuesday and written by adjudicator Paul Love. “He explored the possibility of working from home. Suggestions were made that he quit his job. He requested and was provided an air purifier.”

Reports from the Labour Relations Board often provide a window into the small battles waged inside the public service, where numerous avenues are available for federal employees to file grievances about their work conditions.

One 2006 email listed in the report indicated that Mr. Juba’s contract allowed him 176.5 hours of sick leave. Mr. Juba was asking to have his used sick days returned because his office did not act fast enough to accommodate his condition.

The report states that Mr. Juba’s boss, Paul Snow, took the condition seriously, going so far as to seek help from something described as “JOSH,” the “Joint Occupational Safety and Health Committee.”

The manager then arranged to have an expert on scents come in to teach Mr. Juba’s work colleagues at the Vegreville, Alta., Case Processing Centre about the importance of not being overly fragrant.

“The training was delivered by a person from outside the Centre to avoid stigmatizing those who were scent sensitive and to demonstrate that it was a serious issue,” according to the report.

A sign was also put up in the office that read: “Scent sensitive zone.”

Ultimately, the adjudicator dismissed Mr. Juba’s request.

And that wasn’t the first time the public servant used the various grievance options available to workers inside government.

In 2002 Mr. Juba made a claim for compensation with the Workers’ Compensation Board, on the grounds that he had experienced headaches, a runny nose and occasional nosebleeds from being around co-workers wearing perfume.

Kahitna Meriahkan Sharp Historia

Sharp Historiaroad show di atrium e-Walk Balikpapan Superblock (BSB) berhasil menyedot ribuan warga Kota Minyak. Terlebih malam tadi. Orang-orang berkerumun menyaksikan secara langsung penampilan band kenamaan Kahitna yang diboyong oleh produsen eletronik asal Jepang itu.

Band yang diawaki oleh Hedi Yunus ini tampil pada pukul 08.00 Wita. Banyak lagu-lagu yang sempat hits di medio 90-an ikut dibawakan dalam penampilan band ini sekitar 2 jam in.

Itulah bagian dari serangkaian kemeriahan acara Sharp Historia yang digelar dari tanggal 24 hingga 26 juni 2011 di atrium e-Walk BSB. Sejak Jumat (24/6) produk kenamaan ini menggelar pameran dengan harga spesial, gratis lucky dip, diskon menarik, games dan belajar seni budaya Jepang dengan gratis.

Setelah sukses menggelar Sharp Historiaroad show yang pertama di kota Makassar pada tanggal 1 hingga 5 Juni 2011 lalu, kota berikutnya yang mendapat giliran adalah kota Balikpapan. Selain pameran produk terbaru, Sharp juga menampilkan produk zaman dulu seperti televisi, radio dan kulkas.  Ini sesuai dengan tema acara Sharp Historia.

“Salah satu daya tarik dalam eksibisi ini adalah time tunnel display yaitu booth yang akan mengajak pengunjung menyaksikan perjalanan panjang sejarah perusahaan, evolusi teknologi dan produk-produk Sharp dari masa ke masa,” ujar SEID Brand Strategy Group Senior General Manager Yukihiro Nono.

Fujitsu Semiconductor Releases 52 Products as Second Offering of New FM3 Family of 32-bit Microcontrollers

Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited today announced the release of 52 microcontrollers, the second offering of chips from its new FM3 family of 32-bit general purpose RISC microcontrollers, announced last November, that employ the ARM® Cortex™-M3 core. Recently, a total of 52 new products, including MB9AF316NBGL from the MB9A310 Series and MB9AF116NBGL from the MB9A110 Series, will gradually begin shipping in sample quantities.

FM3 is a family of 32-bit microcontrollers that employ the ARM® Cortex™-M3 global-standard processor core and incorporate a wide variety of peripheral features that have been cultivated during Fujitsu’s years of experience developing its FR microcontrollers.

The MB9A310 Series and the MB9A110 Series achieve a balance between cost-performance and low power consumption. They have been designed for applications including inverter control in major home appliances, particularly those in emerging countries, as well as motor control used in printers, copy machines and other devices.

The FM3 family, which employs the high-performance ARM® Cortex™-M3 core, combines Fujitsu Semiconductor’s wealth of experience in implementing ASIC products using ARM® cores with the peripheral features cultivated through the FR microcontroller family, which has gained broad market acceptance. With the addition of the latest 52 products, Fujitsu Semiconductor has expanded the FM3 family’s basic product line to a total of 60 chips. The lineup has been expanded with a focus on applications in major home appliances (air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, etc.), digital consumer devices, and office automation devices. The FM3 family now boasts a total of 96 products, including both the high-performance and basic product lines.