Spain's Asturias Courts Order Compensation for Truck Driver and Void Mercadona Manager Dismissal

The Supreme Court of Justice of Asturias (TSJ) ruled that a truck driver who left his employer in March 2021 due to unpaid wages, disciplinary sanctions and serious threats is entitled to €16,816.82 in compensation. The court classified the termination as a contract extinction caused by serious employer breaches, granting €9,315.82 as dismissal compensation and €7,501 for violation of fundamental rights and moral damages.

In a separate ruling, the same court declared the dismissal of a Mercadona manager null. The manager had been working reduced hours to care for a disabled brother under the reinforced protection of article 55.5 of the Spanish Workers' Statute. The employer’s evidence, obtained by a private detective, was deemed insufficient to prove misuse of the reduced‑hours arrangement, leading the court to void the termination and uphold the worker’s right to the reduced‑hours schedule.