Sacked after 31 years of Service for stealing $3.25

[Egaladeist]

A supermarket cashier sacked for allegedly stealing 1.30 ($3.25) from her employer after more than 30 years' service is at the centre of a heated political row about the excesses of capitalism that threaten to spill into Germany's general election.

Barbara Emme, 50, worked for 31 years as a cashier at a branch of the giant Kaisers supermarket chain in Berlin. But, this week, a labour court upheld her employer's decision to sack her for the suspected theft of 1.30 of bottle deposits.

Yesterday, in what appeared to be the opening salvo in his party's general election campaign, Wolfgang Thierse, a veteran Social Democrat politician and the parliamentary Speaker, seized on the court's decision and condemned it as "antisocial" and as an example of "barbaric" capitalism. "It is cases like these that destroy people's confidence in democracy," Thierse said.

"The court could have decided otherwise and taken into account that she had worked herself to the bone for 31 years for the company."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/ar ... d=10559243

[Harry]

Theft is theft though... makes no difference how much she nicked.

[Egaladeist]

Theft is theft though... makes no difference how much she nicked.

Well..no one ( in their right mind anyways ) steals $1.30...so it was probably an oversight or a mistake.

[dinowuff]

Theft is theft though... makes no difference how much she nicked.

Well..no one ( in their right mind anyways ) steals $1.30...so it was probably an oversight or a mistake.

Actually $0.1 - $1.0 are common theft amounts

[Harry]

Could be I suppose - but an honest, or normally honest, person I probably more likly to steal a few dollars than a few hundred maybe?

[Egaladeist]

Actually $0.1 - $1.0 are common theft amounts

But how many of those are intentional and not just oversights?

Could be I suppose - but an honest, or normally honest, person I probably more likly to steal a few dollars than a few hundred maybe?

I guess the average Joe might think a few bucks here and there won't get noticed...and may be too wary to dig too deep into the pie...but...it seems rather silly to me...if I was so inclined...I'd rather spend two years planning a caper that would set me up for life than nickle and dime someone.

[cgkanchi]

All that is besides the point. The shop had no proof of the theft and ergo, should not be allowed to fire her. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?

Cheers,
cgkanchi

[Egaladeist]

All that is besides the point. The shop had no proof of the theft and ergo, should not be allowed to fire her. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?

True...that's why I highlighted in the OP " suspected theft "

[Aspman]

I always wonder with stories like this.

Was she an asshole? Was she one of those nasty bitchy workers who do the bare minimum to keep their jobs but spend most of their time moaning about it and muttering.
Maybe the manager has been waiting 10 years to get rid of her. Maybe there have been rumours of her dipping the till for years.

Maybe not. But there are two sides to every story especially if it's in a tabloid.

Lawyers for Kaisers told the court Emme had been given the chance to come clean after she was turned in by a colleague. They said she could have been given her job back.

Instead, she had blamed others for cashing in the bottle deposits and accused the company of victimising her for her trade-union activities.

^sorry I know the type and have to deal with them often. I'm with the shop.

[Egaladeist]

after she was turned in by a colleague

Maybe the ' colleague did it...and pined it on her? Or maybe even the Company because or her Union involvement? Good way to get rid of a perceived troublemaker who has 30 years seniority...accuse her of theft.

[|3lack|ce]

I hope the management has this thoroughly documented, with all their I's dotted and T's crossed - or else they're in for one hell of an age discrimination suit. IF, that is, Germany has such things.

Here in the States, she could hold the company liable for:
Wrongful Termination (if it's not documented correctly, citing written warnings for precedents, and the works) - damages could be as small as the judge ordering them to rehire her, or as large as a lifetime income (see wage damages below).

Sex or Age Discrimination (their motive - and if found guilty on this one they're liable for her wages and applicable raises for the rest of her natural life {again - this is counted over and above wrongful termination}, plus any retirement she would've received, plus full benefits, plus it is a 'punitive damages' tort meaning a jury could tack on whatever it saw fit to 'punish' the company and induce it to not make this foulup again - adds to quite a tidy sum).

For those of you who follow this story, pay close attention to things like:
What is this company worth anyway?

Is it part of a corporation and if so is the corporation publicly traded? Did she own any stock in it including company match incentives in her retirement?

Was her boss sacked for any reason within a year following her termination?

If either of the last 2 'question blurbs' is true, she's looking into a suit and her barrister has 'leaked' the info to the press. The first question blurb is there to see lawsuit feasibility - if it's over 7 figures, watch out.

[Aspman]

It's been to court, she lost. I assume that there was more than a simple suspicion. This is Germany after all. It'll have all been very efficient.