THE TELEGRAPH: A Spanish court has ruled that calling your boss a "son of a bitch" is not grounds for sacking.
A judge in Barcelona said the slight was so common in arguments that it should not be considered a big insult.
The case related to an unnamed worker who directed the comment at his boss during a pay dispute in the northeastern city of Gerona in Jan 2008.
The worker, who also called his boss "crazy," was promptly fired. The man lost a first court challenge, but won on appeal with the Superior Court.
The ruling said his dismissal was a disproportionate punishment and the worker was entitled to be reinstated or receive £5,700 compensation.
Judge Sara Maria Pose Vidal said: "Without a doubt, both expressions are insulting.
"[But] the social degradation of language has caused the expressions used by the plaintiff to become commonly used in certain settings, especially in arguments." [Source: The Telegraph] | Wednesday, September 16, 2009
