Man fired over pant legs

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SKENE, Sweden, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- A Swedish union said it may sue the owners of a packaging plant after a worker was fired for rolling up his pant legs on the job.

Anders Sjoblom, 59, said he often rolled up his pant legs to just below his knees during his more than 30 years on the job at the Stora Enso plant in Skene, but he was told to stop when the company imposed a stricter dress code in June, The Local.se reported Tuesday.

Sjoblom said bosses told him the dress code requires all employees to wear long pants and his apparel would not count if he rolled up the legs to expose his calves.

"It's warm. And it's much easier to climb up and down on the annoying stairs where I work," Sjoblom said of why he prefers to roll up his pant legs.

The worker said he received a number of verbal and written warnings about dress code violations during the summer until he was eventually sent home and given notice of his firing, which was made official Monday.

A union representative told the Dagens Arbete newspaper the issue will be taken to court if the company does not reinstate Sjoblom and allow him to wear his pants as he chooses.

"It hasn't been proven that employers have the right to put these kinds of demands on staff," union representative Magnus Leson said.