A bus driver who was fired after being headbutted and hit by a colleague has been found to be fairly dismissed in court.
The fight, which came after an argument about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, was caught on cameras in the transportation company’s break room.
The verbal confrontation lasted several minutes before the physical altercation broke out between the two men.
The man reportedly fought back after being headbutted and punched, but the judge ruled that “violence between colleagues is unacceptable” and upheld the decision.
Lost on all counts
The man’s employer, Arriva, a public transport company in the Netherlands, wanted to get rid of him. They argued that aggression creates a bad working environment, especially in public transport.
READ MORE | 8 strangest reasons people got fired in the Netherlands last year
The driver attempted to keep his job, but the sub-district court upheld the decision.
The driver, who was employed at Arriva since April 2023, also demanded €12,000 in severance pay, but only received €309.16 in allowances that were still owed to him.
The two parties were also ordered to pay each other’s legal costs. The employee was ordered to pay €808, whilst Arriva had to pay €678.
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