Court upholds University of Bahrain decision to terminate employee service

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The High Administrative Court upheld a decision of the University of Bahrain (UoB) to terminate the service of an employee who had been absent from work for more than 15 consecutive days.

The university’s decision was based on personnel regulations which stipulate the termination of employment services under several cases, including absence from work for more than 15 consecutive days without a legitimate reason accepted by the presidency of the university.

The plaintiff did not provide an acceptable reason justifying her absence from work despite having received a warning of termination. The plaintiff had filed a lawsuit requesting that the university’s decision be cancelled, indicating in her claim that she worked for the defendant for over 10 years, but had received verbal notification from the Personnel Department informing her that she had lost her job due to absence from work, asking her to sign a termination of service form.

This decision was not accepted by the plaintiff as it violates the law for not notifying her in writing following her absence. However, the university requested that the case be dismissed because the plaintiff had abstained from work without providing an acceptable excuse.

Furthermore, the university had issued the contested decision of termination after warning the defendant via registered mail, with knowledge of its receipt. The court declared that the decision is in accordance with the text of Article (1) of the Personnel Regulations at the University of Bahrain issued by Decision No. (2) of 2006.

The provisions of this regulation apply to all permanent university employees as well as contracting employees unless otherwise stipulated in a special clause of their contract. The university also indicated that employee services are terminated under a number of cases, including leave of over 15 consecutive days without a legitimate reason accepted by the presidency of the university.