A Lidl manager was fired in June this year after the company found he was arriving early at work to get things in order, despite not clocking extra hours.
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| Photo credit Wikimedia/Clemensfranz/CC BY-SA 3.0 |
A man named only as Jean P. lost his job in June this year for the sin of starting work early to get his shop ready for the public. The Lidl manager was arriving early to deal with orders, load up extra palettes, change prices and generally getting the shop ready to open. He was not clocking in early, so was not asking for more money from his employer. The company basically fired the manager for working too hard in ensuring his shop was running smoothly. His lawyer is now trying to get him his job back
According to Juan Guerra, Jean P.’s lawyer, Lidl had cited “serious breaches of contract” as their reason for firing the manager. The German company said the security cameras in the supermarket had revealed the manager was working additional hours. In April 2017, the manager arrived at the Lidl supermarket at 5 a.m., working in the supermarket from between 49 to 87 minutes before officially clocking in.
Lidl fires employee for working too much . At least he should have received some warning.... https://t.co/QFthEC7tym via @el_pais— Fokitis Emmanuel (@fokitis) October 31, 2017
Lidl’s letter to Jean P. said he had infringed their edict that “each minute worked is paid, and each minute worked should be registered.” The company went on to note they had received complaints from other employees of the supermarket, saying the manager had suggested they also arrive early at work. Another aspect was that Jean P. was in the supermarket alone, which for security reasons is not allowed by the company.
Jean P. has been employed by Lidl since 2005 and says his dismissal by the company is unfair, hence he has lodged a legal claim against Lidl for reemployment. He stated that he has never made any member of staff obliged to start work early at the supermarket. He also stated that Lidl has never told him he could not arrive at work early to get the supermarket ready. His lawyer stresses that if his client did break any rules, it was more in favour of the company than the employee himself.
Ha eddig nem volt világos, a németek tényleg elveszítik önmagukat: Lidl employee fired for 'working too hard' https://t.co/YNxMyPpmgD— Móricz Máté (@moriczmate) October 31, 2017
Guerra went on to say that strangely, his client is being punished for working too hard and ensuring his supermarket ran smoothly. He said the company had put pressure on Jean P. to reach his sales targets and that they are hypocritical in firing him.
