A McDonald's outlet in the Netherlands was (1) to fire an employee for giving a colleague a piece of cheese on a hamburger, a court has ruled.
The waitress was (2) 10 months ago after she sold a hamburger to a co-worker who (3) asked for cheese, which she added. The fast-food chain argued this (4) the hamburger into a cheeseburger, and so she should have (5) more. But the district court ruled a written warning (6) have been more appropriate.
McDonald's was ordered to pay the former employee more than €4,200 for the last five months of her (7) . The fast-food chain had argued that the waitress – who was employed at a branch in the northern town of Lemmer – had broken staff rules (8) free gifts to family, friends or colleagues. But the court (9) in its written judgement: "The dismissal was (10) severe a measure. It is just a slice of cheese," reports AFP news agency.
The (11) comes days after McDonald's reported an increase in net profits by almost a quarter during the last three months.