Foreign sales manager awarded BD6,700 after unlawful dismissal

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A foreign sales manager has been awarded BD6,700 after being let go with only two days’ notice, despite holding a fixed-term contract. The High Labour Court found her dismissal lacked lawful grounds and ordered the company to pay compensation for early termination and unpaid entitlements.

She had arrived in Bahrain and taken up the role in March 2023.

Employment terms

Her employment terms included a two-year contract and a one-year residency permit.

The job paid BD550 per month, broken down into BD330 in basic pay, BD165 for housing, and BD55 as a transport allowance.

On 1 October 2024, she received a letter informing her that her last working day would be two days later.

Her lawyer, Hameed Al Sammak, said the company had not given any proper reason at the time and had failed to settle what she was owed, which led to the legal action.

Performance

The employer later told the court that her performance had been lacking, especially in sales and collections.

It brought two witnesses in an effort to support the claim, but the court found their accounts unconvincing.

There was nothing in the case papers, it said, to support the claim that she had been let go for a valid reason.

Since the company had the responsibility of proving its case and didn’t manage to do so, the court ruled in her favour.

The court also noted the firm had not honoured the full notice period required by law.

Only two days were given instead of the usual 30.

As a result, the court counted the remaining 28 days as part of her service and awarded her BD308 in basic pay for that time.

In total, the court ordered the company to pay her BD308 for the shortened notice period, BD5,709 for the unlawful termination, and BD151.125 for unused annual leave.

Service certificate

It also instructed the firm to hand her a service certificate showing her role and salary details, along with an account of her work experience and the reason given for her dismissal.

A return ticket, or its value in cash, must also be provided.