Private school ordered to pay BD6,750 for unlawful dismissal

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A private school has been ordered to pay BD6,750 to a former employee after the High Labour Court found her dismissal was unlawful.

The school had claimed she leaked “school secrets”.

The court said it did not prove that claim, and described the matters raised against her as workplace or administrative issues that did not meet the legal test for dismissal.

Contract

The claimant, represented by lawyer Sanad Bucheeri, joined the school in March 2024 as a receptionist and typist on a two-year fixed-term contract, earning BD450 a month.

She was dismissed on 28 May 2025. Her lawyer said she was removed from her job without warning, written notice, or a lawful reason.

The school asked the court to reject the case.

Duties

It argued it had proper grounds to end the contract, saying the employee breached key duties by sharing confidential details linked to internal inquiries and harming the school’s reputation.

The school also accused her of failing to follow instructions, letting unauthorised people into the printing room, spreading false rumours about staff, and encouraging a colleague to leave.

It further argued she was not entitled to notice pay because she had been told on 8 May 2025 that her contract would be ended, and said she left work on 1 June 2025 without justification.

Cheque

The school said she received a cheque for BD346.250 for annual leave pay and refused to collect her end-of-service certificate.

Bucheeri disputed the school’s account, saying there had been no proper formal investigation and no prior notice in line with the law.

He argued the internal inquiry record did not amount to a lawful reason for dismissal and maintained his client’s claim.

Defence

The court heard witnesses from the school, who repeated the same defence.

In its ruling, the court said the school ended the employee’s service on 28 May 2025 without producing written proof that she had been given prior notice. Instead, it relied on verbal notice, according to its first witness.

The court also found the alleged conduct, even as recorded in the internal inquiry, did not amount to leaking work secrets, causing serious harm to the employer, or breaching core duties.

Termination

It treated the termination as an unlawful ending of a fixedterm contract.

The judgment ordered the school to pay BD6,300 in compensation for ending the fixedterm contract without lawful cause, plus BD450 in notice pay, and to cover court costs and legal fees.