Porn during lunch breaks is OK but smoking cannabis can get you sacked, Italy's highest court rules
Court of Cassation rules against Fiat after it sacked a factory worker for watching adult films. He says he was just 'catching a glimpse of a movie during his lunch break'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Employees cannot be sacked for watching porn during their lunch breaks if it does not impact upon their ability to do their work, Italy’s highest court has ruled.
According to Italian media reports, the Court of Cassation ruled against major car manufacturer Fiat after it sacked a factory worker in Termini Imerese, a town in Sicily.
Bosses had caught the man watching adult films at work, but he argued that his viewing was limited to “catching a glimpse of a movie during his lunch break”.
But it wasn’t all bad news for Fiat, as in a separate ruling on Wednesday the court found the carmaker was within its rights to sack a man caught smoking cannabis during his lunch break – presumably because its effects continued into his working hours.
The porn ruling at the Court of Cassation marked the end of a five-year legal battle for the man, identified as Guiseppe Z, whose dismissal was supported by the local court in Termini Imerese.
That was overturned by the court of appeal in Palermo, however, prompting Fiat to take the issue to the highest level.
The Italian edition of The Local reported that, as there was no evidence presented by Fiat that the man had indulged his porn habit during normal working hours, he had done nothing wrong.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments