14-year-old successfully sues Dutch employer after getting fired

A 14-year-old boy has successfully sued his employer and won the case after he was fired for not turning up to work despite giving notice beforehand. The employer must now pay 428 euros in dismissal compensation and almost 900 euros in legal costs. 

Boy’s father texted boss to inform him that his son would be unable to work

The story all began when the boy’s father sent a text message to the employer, who ran a butcher’s shop in Tilburg. The father wanted to let the butcher know that his son would be unable to make a shift during the weekend, in four day’s time, due to other commitments. In his message, the father apologised for the inconvenience and promised that they would try to do better in the future. 

Despite the advanced notice, the butcher was unimpressed by the worker not being able to work on such a busy shift and promptly moved to fire the 14-year-old, with immediate effect. 

14-year-old sues butcher and wins the case

The 14-year-old, who was paid only 5,50 euros an hour before losing his job, was not happy with this situation. Because of this, he started legal proceedings against his employer, claiming compensation for the dismissal and eventually taking the butcher to court in Zeeland-West-Brabant.

The court ruled in the boy’s favour but deemed the initial claim by the boy’s father for 1.400 euros in compensation to be excessive. Instead, the butcher was ordered to pay 428 euros in dismissal compensation, and 900 euros in legal fees. Even with the courtroom drama in the background, the butcher maintains that his ex-employee is “a very nice boy”.