A service station worker has been sacked and ordered to pay nearly €5,000 in fines and court costs after she was caught helping herself to snacks at work.
The 45-year-old woman was dismissed on Christmas Eve last year when her employer found she had eaten a toasted sandwich and taken four other items, including a meat croquette sandwich and a cheese brioche, in the previous four weeks.
She went to court to challenge her employer’s decision to fire under the company’s zero tolerance policy on workplace theft. The summary dismissal also meant she was ineligible for unemployment benefit.
But the district court in Bergen op Zoom upheld her dismissal and honoured a counter-claim by the company to fine her six weeks’ wages for misconduct, a total of €3,864.90. She was also ordered to pay €1,057 in legal costs.
The woman claimed she had eaten the toasted sandwich to test if it was fit for consumption, while other items had been paid for at a later date. But the court said there was only evidence of one sandwich being repaid and for less than the retail price.
She said her dismissal was unduly harsh because the company’s policy on consuming products from the shelves was unclear, but the court turned down her request to be reinstated.
Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.
We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.