Top Peru Court: You Can’t Fire Him, He’s Drunk!

In a decision criticized as a dangerous precedent, the top court in Peru has decided that on-the-job intoxication isn't necessarily sufficient cause for immediate termination.

Janitor Pablo Cayo must be reinstated by the municipality of Chorrillos, the Constitutional Tribunal ordered, and Justice Fernando Calle explained yesterday that the court considered his termination for on-the-job intoxication excessive because no one was offended or hurt, reports Reuters.

Unlike the U.S., where workers without express contractual protections often can be fired at will by their employers, many other countries ordinarily require appropriate cause for terminations.