Dental Centre to reimburse former employee after lay-off

Manama

The Labour Court has ordered a local dental centre to compensate a former employee whose contract was terminated. According to the order, the dental centre will have to pay the terminated receptionist BD3488, who was sacked before her two-year contract matured.

The owner of the centre told the court that the defendant was axed on her 11th month on the job, after she was caught defaming the establishment. He alleged that the former employee told prospective customers that the owner lacked experience and that he was having secret relationships with Arab women. She also claimed that the centre was equipped with old machines, according to the former employer.  He, therefore, furnished these as the reasons to lay her off.

However, the court termed this pretext as invalid, ordering the owner to pay his former employee, who was on a monthly wage of BD350, the total value of her unpaid salaries until the end of her contract – an amount of  BD3488.

“The labour law stipulates employers to present a legal reason when they terminate employees’ contracts. And when agreements were rescinded without a valid reason by the employers, then they are obligated to compensate the employees by paying them the remainder of the contract,” the court ruling read.