Italy court awards compensation to guard fired over water bottle

An Italian court in Lecco has awarded a security guard substantial compensation after he was dismissed for taking an unpaid bottle of water from a shopping mall bar. The judge ruled that the employer's decision to terminate the contract was disproportionate to the offense.

In its reasoning, the court noted that the bar employee did not even seek to recover the cost of the water, suggesting the incident was not perceived as a serious matter. Consequently, the security guard was awarded an indemnity equivalent to 12 months of salary for the excessive treatment.

A similar incident was reported in Taranto, where a supermarket employee with ten years of service was also dismissed for consuming an unpaid bottle of water, leading to further labor disputes.