A man in Spain was fired after drinking alcohol during work hours, which cost him his job. However, after being dismissed, the man was dissatisfied and sued the company, ultimately winning the case. The company must now reinstate him or provide substantial compensation.
According to ODDITYCENTRAL, the incident occurred in Murcia, Spain. An employee of an electricity company acted abnormally at work, raising suspicion from his supervisor, who then hired a private investigator for round-the-clock surveillance. The investigation revealed that the man repeatedly drank at bars or in parking lots during lunch breaks, and on one occasion, drank about 3 liters of beer during his lunch break.
The company considered his actions to be a serious violation of regulations, especially since he was responsible for driving company vehicles, potentially endangering public safety. As a result, they decided to terminate his employment. However, the man contested the company's decision by suing for unlawful dismissal. The case was brought before the Murcia High Court, where the judge ruled in favor of the employee, considering the dismissal to be “excessive punishment.”
The court ruled that the company must either reinstate the man to his original position or pay €47,000 (around 215,700 ringgit) in compensation. The court pointed out that lunch breaks do not constitute official working hours, so drinking alcohol during that time does not fully qualify as work misconduct. Furthermore, the company could not prove that his alcohol consumption affected his work performance or actually endangered others’ safety.
Crucially, according to local regulations, companies may only dismiss employees for “habitual alcoholism.” Since the private investigator’s evidence only showed a few isolated drinking incidents, the court defined them as sporadic acts rather than habitual drunkenness. The judgment sparked heated debate, with some netizens arguing that labor laws should protect workers’ rights, while others questioned whether the standards were too lenient and if the employee received appropriate punishment.
The company considered his actions to be a serious violation of regulations, especially since he was responsible for driving company vehicles, potentially endangering public safety. As a result, they decided to terminate his employment. However, the man contested the company's decision by suing for unlawful dismissal. The case was brought before the Murcia High Court, where the judge ruled in favor of the employee, considering the dismissal to be “excessive punishment.”
The court ruled that the company must either reinstate the man to his original position or pay €47,000 (around 215,700 ringgit) in compensation. The court pointed out that lunch breaks do not constitute official working hours, so drinking alcohol during that time does not fully qualify as work misconduct. Furthermore, the company could not prove that his alcohol consumption affected his work performance or actually endangered others’ safety.
Crucially, according to local regulations, companies may only dismiss employees for “habitual alcoholism.” Since the private investigator’s evidence only showed a few isolated drinking incidents, the court defined them as sporadic acts rather than habitual drunkenness. The judgment sparked heated debate, with some netizens arguing that labor laws should protect workers’ rights, while others questioned whether the standards were too lenient and if the employee received appropriate punishment.