A company in the UAE has terminated its Filipina employee after the latter sought for help to buy food and pay for house rent by publishing her appeal on Gulf News.
Filipina expat Corazon Tarcena, 54, sought help through the newspaper on May 14 and was able to collect enough funds to pay her landlord and buy necessities.
Tarcena has been working in the company for more than a decade already.
Three days after her appeal published on Gulf News and the time she returned to their office on May 17, she received the termination letter signed by the general manager.
“The company warned you before and second warning again issued this is in line with the article written in Gulf News specific article make (sic) unfair and damaging image since you know the company is making all of his (sic) effort to help and extend effort for the benefit of his (sic) employees,” the terminated noted.
In the May 14 article by Gulf News, Tarcena’s employer and company were not mentioned.
According to Atty. Barney Almazar, a Filipina lawyer based in Dubai, the termination was outright illegal.
“Under Article 122 of the UAE Labour Law, an employee is deemed arbitrarily dismissed if the cause for such termination has nothing to do with the work.”
“Based on a UAE jurisprudence, a termination is deemed ‘valid’ if it complies with the twin requirements of (1) due process and (2) valid ground. Due process requires the employee to be properly notified and given opportunity to be heard,” Almazar told Gulf News.
The general manager threatened Gulf News that he file a case against them shall they publish another story about the company.
