Latest news with #wrongfuldismissal
Free Malaysia Today
8 hours ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Ex-VP of GLC awarded RM1.3mil for wrongful dismissal
The Kuala Lumpur Industrial Court awarded RM1.3 million to Syed Agil Syed Hashim for wrongful dismissal by Malaysian Bioeconomy Development Corporation. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA : A government-linked company has been ordered by the Kuala Lumpur Industrial Court to pay RM1.3 million in compensation to its former vice-president for wrongful dismissal. The Malaysian Bioeconomy Development Corporation Sdn Bhd is the government's lead development agency for the bio-based industry in Malaysia. Its termination of claimant Syed Agil Syed Hashim's employment was initially upheld by another industrial court in 2023. However, the Kuala Lumpur High Court quashed that award in January and ordered that a new chairman preside over the case for the sole purpose of determining the quantum of compensation payable. Court chairman Pravin Kaur Jessy, who took over the case, noted that the High Court had in its ruling made a finding that the claimant was dismissed without just cause of excuse in 2020, after 14 years of service. Syed Agil, who started his job in 2006 with a basic salary of RM14,000 a month, was earning RM39,600 when asked to leave in 2020. 'By virtue of this finding, it necessarily follows that the claimant's employment was not on a fixed-term basis but was permanent in nature. 'This court therefore accepts that the claimant was in continuous and permanent employment for a period of 14 years, until his dismissal on September 30, 2020,' Pravin said in the award handed down on June 19. She also noted that her sole task, as ordered by the High Court, was to assess the appropriate compensation payable in lieu of reinstatement and back wages. Pravin said the claimant was entitled to 14 months' wages as compensation in lieu amounting to RM554,400, based on his final drawn basic salary. For back wages, she awarded 24 months' salary, amounting to RM760,320, after a 20% deduction for post-dismissal earnings. The total award comes to RM1,314,720. She also ordered the company to settle all statutory contributions to the relevant authorities within 30 days of the award. Nur Zur'Ain Mat Ramlee appeared for the claimant, while Abdul Aziz Hamzah represented the company.
CBC
13-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
Former Alberta health agency CEO asks for speedy ruling in lawsuit against government
A former health-care agency leader is asking a judge to deliver a quick decision on her wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the Alberta government, but the province says it will push back. Athana Mentzelopoulos, the former CEO of Alberta Health Services has applied for a summary judgment on the legality of her January firing, which would avoid sending the case to trial. Mentzelopoulos first filed the lawsuit in February, alleging that Adriana LaGrange, the province's health minister at the time, tried to shut down an investigation into various contracts with links to government officials, and then engineered the CEO's dismissal. The claims have sparked multiple investigations, including by the RCMP, the province's auditor general, and a former Manitoba judge hired by the government. Mentzelopolous's latest application, filed in Court of King's Bench in Edmonton this week, alleges LaGrange called a meeting to try to have the AHS board fire Mentzelopolous, but some directors refused. Mentzelopoulos says in a sworn affidavit she believes her claims will be confirmed by former board members if the court compels them to testify under oath as part of the application. "I was told that when Minister LaGrange was asked why she wanted me terminated, she could give no substantive reason and gave none," she said. Mentzelopolous alleges that Andre Tremblay, who was on the board and the deputy minister of health at the time, was then directed by LaGrange to fire her. "I had only positive performance reviews. To my knowledge there was nothing negative at all on my personnel file up to and including the day my employment was improperly terminated by Mr. Tremblay acting without AHS authority," Mentzelopolous said. Mentzelopolous said by directing Tremblay, LaGrange overstepped the authority of AHS directors. Maddison McKee, LaGrange's press secretary in the new ministry of primary and preventative health services, said in a statement the reasons for the former AHS CEO's dismissal are clearly outlined in the government's statement of defence. "The government will be vigorously opposing the former CEO's most recent application as it is legally baseless and contains a litany of misinformation and false claims." The entire board was dismissed soon after Mentzelopoulos was fired. In a statement of defence filed in March, the government said Mentzelopolous was fired not for investigating contracts, but for being an "alarming" failure at her job. It also alleged Mentzelopolous was stifling mandated health-care reform in order to retain the power and "personal prestige" of her position. LaGrange's statement said proper procedures were followed and that weeks prior to Mentzelopolous being dismissed, the AHS board chair signed off on the decision. Premier Danielle Smith's United Conservative government has been aggressively restructuring the public health-care system, establishing four separate health-care ministries along with four new sector-specific agencies. Once the provincial health authority, AHS is being reduced to a hospital services provider. LaGrange's defence called Mentzelopolous' account a "dramatic tale and false narrative" meant to squeeze more money out of the government on top of an annual salary approaching $600,000. Mentzelopoulos was fired one year into a four-year contract. She is seeking $1.7 million in lost pay and damages, while LaGrange is asking that the suit be dismissed. None of the allegations from either side have been proven in court. In a March statement, Mentzelopolous said "an army of lawyers" had been hired to defend the government. "I am worried there's a strategy to try to bring me to my knees financially, so I hope we can skip oral questions and proceed directly to trial," she said at the time.
CTV News
12-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Former Alberta health agency CEO asks for speedy ruling in lawsuit against government
A former health-care agency leader is asking a judge to deliver a quick decision on her wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the Alberta government, but the province says it will push back. Athana Mentzelopoulos, the former CEO of Alberta Health Services, or AHS, has applied for a summary judgment on the legality of her January firing, which would avoid sending the case to trial. Mentzelopoulos first filed the lawsuit in February, alleging that Adriana LaGrange, the province's health minister at the time, tried to shut down an investigation into questionable multimillion-dollar health services contracts and then engineered the CEO's dismissal. The claims of corruption and high-level arm-twisting have sparked multiple investigations, including by the RCMP, the province's auditor general, and a former Manitoba judge hired by the government. Mentzelopolous' latest application, filed in Court of King's Bench in Edmonton this week, alleges LaGrange called a meeting to try to have the AHS board fire Mentzelopolous, but some directors refused. Mentzelopoulos says in a sworn affidavit she believes her claims will be confirmed by former board members if the court compels them to testify under oath as part of the application. 'I was told that when Minister LaGrange was asked why she wanted me terminated, she could give no substantive reason and gave none,' she says. Mentzelopolous alleges that Andre Tremblay, who was on the board and the deputy minister of health at the time, was then directed by LaGrange to fire her. 'I had only positive performance reviews. To my knowledge there was nothing negative at all on my personnel file up to and including the day my employment was improperly terminated by Mr. Tremblay acting without AHS authority,' Mentzelopolous says. Mentzelopolous says by directing Tremblay, LaGrange overstepped the authority of AHS directors. Maddison McKee, LaGrange's press secretary in the new ministry of primary and preventative health services, said in a statement the reasons for the former AHS CEO's dismissal are clearly outlined in the government's statement of defence. 'The government will be vigorously opposing the former CEO's most recent application as it is legally baseless and contains a litany of misinformation and false claims.' The entire board was dismissed soon after Mentzelopoulos was fired. In a statement of defence filed in March, the government said Mentzelopolous was fired not for investigating contracts, but for being an 'alarming' failure at her job. It also alleged Mentzelopolous was stifling mandated health-care reform in order to retain the power and 'personal prestige' of her position. LaGrange's statement said proper procedures were followed and that weeks prior to Mentzelopolous being dismissed, the AHS board chair signed off on the decision. Premier Danielle Smith's United Conservative government has been aggressively restructuring the public health-care system, establishing four separate health-care ministries along with four new sector-specific agencies. Once the provincial health authority, AHS is being reduced to a hospital services provider. LaGrange's defence called Mentzelopolous' account a 'dramatic tale and false narrative' meant to squeeze more money out of the government on top of an annual salary approaching $600,000. Mentzelopoulos was fired one year into a four-year contract. She is seeking $1.7 million in lost pay and damages, while LaGrange is asking that the suit be dismissed. None of the allegations from either side have been proven in court. In a March statement, Mentzelopolous said 'an army of lawyers' had been hired to defend the government. 'I am worried there's a strategy to try to bring me to my knees financially, so I hope we can skip oral questions and proceed directly to trial,' she said at the time. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2025. Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press
Bloomberg
29-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Citi Reverses Course on Firing of Japan Trader Five Years On
Citigroup Inc. revoked the firing of a senior trader in Japan as part of a wrongful dismissal settlement following years of wrangling over problematic trading practices in the bank's Asia unit. Ken Ohtaka's dismissal was rescinded after the two sides reached an agreement last month, according to a copy of the settlement seen by Bloomberg News. Ohtaka, Citigroup's ex-Japan agency trading head in Tokyo, rejected a confidentiality clause in the settlement so that he can talk openly about what he describes as a 'global witch hunt in search of scapegoats' that triggered several firings.
The Guardian
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Former kit manager sues Arsenal after being sacked for anti-Israel comments
A former Arsenal kit manager is suing the club for wrongful dismissal, alleging he was discriminated against because of his opposition to Israel. Mark Bonnick, who worked at the club from the early 2000s, alleges his dismissal was 'discriminatory' owing to it being based on his 'philosophical anti-Zionist belief'. Bonnick was suspended and then sacked in December 2024 after Arsenal were alerted to a series of posts he had made on social media referring to Israel's war in Gaza. Bonnick says that his posts were not antisemitic but motivated by legitimate anti-Zionist beliefs. In his legal submission, Bonnick refers to five replies on X in November and December last year, including: 'Yes it is all about Jewish supremacy & not wanting to share the land Ethnic cleansing'; 'Why should they be protected anymore than any other community? Some see this as the problem Jewish communities thinking they should be put before others'; 'What about the Jews that attack Christians?' Bonnick's posts also said 'Hamas offered to release all hostages in October. Zionist Israel refused. Persecution complex'; and on that offer he also posted: 'You abandoned them … Refused to bring them home … Your silence was deafening … Now you want others to scream … Morals integrity honesty none … Mark of Cain.' Bonnick says his reference to 'Mark of Cain' was a quote from a statement made by Israel's then defence minister, Yoav Gallant, the previous month. Bonnick told the Guardian he was taking the legal action in an attempt to restore his reputation, which he argues has been sullied by allegations of antisemitism. According to Bonnick's submission Arsenal's investigation into the posts did not accuse him of antisemitism but said they could be 'perceived as inflammatory or offensive' and had 'brought the club into disrepute'. Bonnick is seeking damages and reinstatement. Bonnick said: 'I want them to acknowledge what they've done to me is wrong and that they should not have sacked me. I believe in standing up for what's right, especially when you see injustice, and I feel strongly against what Israel is doing in Gaza. 'I've tweeted on various issues, including football, Brexit, racism, knife crime and politics. It only became a problem when I tweeted about Israel, which led to a pile-on online and people contacting the club.' Bonnick, 61, who worked his way up from casual Arsenal coaching roles in the early 2000s to a full-time kitman position supporting the youth teams, says he was devastated by the way he was 'discarded' after years of service. His claim – which is expected to be heard next year – alleges that Arsenal acted unfairly and without due process. It accuses the club of bowing to online pressure in what he describes as a 'kneejerk response to manufactured outrage'. Bonnick was sacked on 24 December and lost his appeal against the sacking on 14 February. His lawyers cite the case of the academic David Miller where an employment tribunal found his 'anti-Zionist' beliefs qualified as a 'philosophical belief and a protected characteristic' under the Equality Act 2010. His lawyer, Franck Magennis, who is being instructed by the European Legal Support Centre, said: 'Mark Bonnick was right to speak out, in accordance with his deeply held anti-Zionist beliefs, against Israel's nakedly racist violence and the colonial ideology that justifies it. Arsenal FC dismissed him in an unfair and discriminatory manner; they should admit their mistake and give him his job back.' Arsenal were approached for comment. According to Bonnick's submission, he was told by Arsenal's representative after an investigation: 'The comments you made on 'X' could be perceived as inflammatory or offensive. And as a result, your posts on 'X' brought the club into disrepute. This breached the terms of your employment contract and the club's social media policy, which explicitly states that social media must not be used in a way that brings the club into disrepute. 'While we recognise the comments were made from your personal 'X' account, the account was set to 'public', and in your own name and it was clearly possible to identify you as an employee of the club. Engaging in online debate on such controversial topic and making comments that were found to be highly offensive and inflammatory, displayed a complete lack of judgment and disregard for the club's policies and values. I also feel that your conduct and poor judgement has irreparably damaged the relationship of trust between you, the club, its supporter communities and employees. That's why we've come to this decision.'
