BRITISH EMPLOYER PAYS DAMAGES FOR ARBITRARY SACKING OF EMPLOYEE

The owner of a tourist hotel in Galle was ordered by the Galle Labour Tribunal (LT) to pay compensation to an employee whose service had been terminated.

LT President and Additional Magistrate Ms.E.A.D.Y. M.C. Ekanayake made this order after hearing a petition filed by the employee.

The owner of the hotel was a British national. The peti- tioner, Obawata Kankanamge Priyantha Lal Nanayakkara stated that he had been employed at the Hinganga House Hotel at Mahamodera since February 12, 2003 and that he was arbitrarily dismissed on February 12, 2008. He stated that he was not allowed to enter the hotel premises after his dismissal.

Respondents to the petition

The employee had been employed at the Hinganga House Hotel at Mahamodera since February 12, 2003

were British national Graham Tomlins and Ajith Shantha Rajasinghe. They stated that cash to the value of Rs.40,000 had been stolen from the 1st respondent’s room and that the 2nd respondent had seen the petitioner’s son looking through the bags belonging to the guests. Several tourists from England had complained that their cash had been stolen. The petitioner’s wife and the 2nd respondent’s wife were not on good terms and they often had disputes.

The LT President held that the petitioner who was the 2nd respondent’s brother-in- law and the the two families living under one roof had led to disputes between the two parties.

She further held that the police had not been able to identify the individuals responsible for the theft of money. Ms. Ekanayake ordered the respondents to pay 12 month’s salary and compensation of Rs.40,000 to the petitioner on or before October 30.