16 years on the job Employee eats croquette - dismissed
A Spanish supermarket employee is dismissed after 16 years for eating a croquette. The court rules in his favor and awards him 40,000 euros in compensation.
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- An employee eats a croquette after closing time.
- The man is then dismissed by the Mercadona supermarket chain.
- He now receives a large sum in compensation.
An unusual case from southern Spain is currently dominating the headlines across the country: A long-standing employee of the Mercadona supermarket chain in the city of Albacete was dismissed for eating a croquette after work that was destined for the trash.
The incident occurred on July 8, 2023, when the delicatessen department of the store was being tidied up. A hungry employee took a croquette from a blister pack, which was observed and reported by a colleague.
After the weekend, the employee confessed the incident to his store manager. Although he knew that eating unpaid goods was forbidden, he hoped for leniency.
But the company's reaction was harsh: the man was dismissed for disciplinary reasons on the same day. After 16 years with the company, he was offered a severance payment of just 944 euros and 38 cents.
Employee receives compensation
The employee subsequently took legal action against the dismissal. The Social Chamber of the Supreme Court of Castilla-La Mancha has now ruled in his favor.
In a ruling on October 15, the judges found that the offense did not constitute a serious crime and that dismissal was therefore not justified. The court also argued that the croquette, which was to be disposed of anyway, was of no value and therefore did not constitute misappropriation. The case has only now become public knowledge.
The supermarket chain Mercadona accepted the verdict and agreed to pay compensation of almost 40,000 euros to the former employee.
This article was created with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). All content created by AI is verified by the editorial team.
