A court in Vigo, Spain, ruled that a company legally dismissed a union representative after monitoring him with a private investigator.
Private Detectives, as they are known in Spain, are licensed in that jurisdiction.
The representative was seen at a beach bar with his family during union hours, which led to the company's suspicion that he was misusing his work time.
The judge found that the company acted proportionately and that the surveillance was justified, emphasising that it was limited to days of suspicion and not a random invasion of privacy.
The ruling stated that evidence collected by private detectives in such cases is typically valid. The former employee claimed his privacy was violated, but the court dismissed the claim.
The decision is not final, as the employee can appeal to the High Court of Justice of Galicia.
Source: Sur in English
