That’s what Marte Dalelve’s company told her after she was arrested for being raped in Dubai. She behaved improperly, you see.
Ms. Dalelv received a letter from her employer Al Mana Interiors three weeks after she reported the rape, informing her that she was suspended from her position, effective immediately.
The ninth of april she got a new shocking letter: Her contract was terminated due to «unacceptable and improper behavior». This time it was the company’s managing director, Mr. Wissam Al Mana, who himself signed the letter.
It’s a very sweet letter. It doesn’t come right out and call her a whore.
Al Mana writes the following in the letter he personally signed:
Dear Ms. Dalelv,
Further to the suspension letter notified to you on 20th March 2013, we hereby inform you that you employment with Al Mana Interiors W.L.L. is terminated for misconduct and breach of your employment duties, effective immediately.
As mentioned is the suspension letter dated 20th March 2013, your employment agreement is termination due to your unacceptable and improper behavior during your last business trip in Dubai, which has resulted in your arrest by the Police Authorities in UAE.
The full and final settlement of any outstanding benefits can be discussed wih Mr. XXXX XXXXXX. At the same time, you are requested to hand in any company property given to you on account of company work.
The present letter has been given in accordance with article 61 of the Qatar Labour Law no 14 of (2004), and a copy of which will be submitted to the Labour Department, for their records.
Sincerely,
Wissam Al Mana
Managing Director
You just can’t let them out of the house, can you. If you try it just all goes horribly wrong.
Misconduct? Being raped isn’t even conduct.
Jafafa Hots
Yeah, but she went out drinking and was in mixed company, of course that’s misconduct!
/snark
Seriously, though… what the hell, man? What the hell? That’s like firing a battered woman because of her abuser. (Which, I’m sure, has happened.)
“Boss isn’t sexist, he just wants her to be good!
It’s not his fault she never understood.
‘Cause firing’s my husband’s game,
Don’t you dare sell him short.
My name ain’t baby, it’s Janet.
Mrs. Wissam Al Mana, if we’re in court.”
@WMDKitty, That just happened recently. ): http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/06/school-cites-allegedly-abusive-ex-husband-in-teachers-dismissal/
Oh, P.S.: the owner of the company is better known as Mr. Janet Jackson.
I remember one very frustrating incident at my current place of employment, where I had to talk my boss out of firing the only woman employed at his company not to fire her because her ex-boyfriend kept coming by to harass her, and (on one of these visits) had stolen some product off of the loading dock.
And yes, she was the only woman at a company of 30 people. (She’s now one of two, since the boss’ brother hired his wife.) She’s also easily the hardest worker at the company – the entire shipping department would fall apart overnight without her.
I’m going to guess that because the company said the notice was provided in accordance with the Qatar Labour Law that they have applied the employment laws of the UAE (or Dubai, not sure how different labor laws are depending on region) for her termination. I’ve seen several cases where foreign employees of American-controlled airlines had signed employment agreements that had a clause to the effect of “employment laws of the State of New York” or some such shall be controlling in the event of a dispute, and were successful in suing to receive FMLA, overtime, or other benefits. I would hope she would be able to litigate for some kind of redress for discrimination prohibited in the home country.
As often happens, when it’s easier to blame those without power than to blame the guilty, the guilty will go unpunished.
I hope they at least also fired the guy who raped her (‘cuz if assaulting co-workers isn’t serious misconduct, nothing is).