Engineer wins compensation in wrongful termination case

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

The High Labour Court has ordered a company to pay BD5,100 in compensation to an engineer after unlawfully terminating his fixed-term contract, in addition to legal interest of 1% annually until full settlement, and to issue him a service certificate.

Lawyer Eman Al-Ansari, the engineer’s legal representative, explained that the company terminated her client’s contract just four months after hiring him with a monthly salary of BD1,700, claiming he had failed to meet performance standards. However, the court ruled that these claims were unsubstantiated and lacked any supporting evidence.

More importantly, the court emphasised that the clause in the contract allowing the company to terminate employment “at any time, with or without cause” is invalid, as it violates labour law and undermines the worker’s legal rights.

Provisions

The court clarified that such provisions do not exempt employers from paying compensation in cases of unlawful termination.

Accordingly, the court ordered the company to pay the engineer BD5,100 in compensation, as well as BD200 in attorney fees, along with translation and court costs.

The judgment reaffirms that unfair clauses in employment contracts cannot be used as a means to evade legal obligations.