A worker was fired after stealing six rolls of toilet paper from his workplace, thus losing a job with 30 years of seniority. The situation generated a court case that drew attention due to the disproportion between the value of the stolen goods and the consequences for the worker.
The court decided that, despite the reduced value of the stolen goods, the worker's attitude constituted a serious breach of trust and contractual good faith. This decision justified the dismissal as fair, invalidating any compensation the worker could claim.
The worker ended up receiving a compensation of 60,000 euros, a value that represents a part of what would be due to him after three decades of service. This case raises questions about the limits of proportionality in labor relations and the extreme consequences that small thefts can have for workers.
