Blijdorp zoo employee fired after 37 years for trying to steal bag full of cookies

An employee of Diergaarde Blijdorp lost his job after a flawless employment record of over 37 years because he tried to steal a bag full of cookies and rulers, worth less than 40 euros. The court in Rotterdam found the man guilty of attempted theft but found a summary dismissal too severe. The man still lost his job but is now entitled to a severance payment and his unemployment benefit.

The 63-year-old man started working as a catering employee at the Rotterdam zoo in 1987 and never had any problems. In early September, that relationship came to an end after he was caught with 17 cookies and a package of 36 rulers belonging to the zoo in his bag. Diergaarde Blijdorp dismissed him with immediate effect, claiming it has a zero-tolerance policy for theft. The summary dismissal waived his right to severance pay and unemployment benefits.

The man went to court, arguing that the dismissal was too harsh, partly given his personal circumstances. The man said in court that he wanted to hand the items out to children at the riding school where he worked and made a “stupid mistake.” He said he had planned to pay for the rulers and had thought the cookies were past their sell-by date.

The court in Rotterdam did not believe that the man intended to pay for the items, which constituted attempted theft. But in this specific case, the court found a summary dismissal too harsh due to the mitigating circumstances.

First, the subdistrict court pointed out that Diergaarde Blijdorp’s company regulations don’t explicitly state that theft can lead to summary dismissal. The court also took the man’s circumstances into account. This was a “once-off blunder in a long and otherwise impeccable record of service.” The man also has heart problems and given his age, health limitations, lack of education, and one-sided work experience, will find it very hard to find another job.

According to the court, this combination of circumstances makes the summary dismissal “extra drastic,” especially considering that the items he wanted to steal were only worth around 37 euros. The court, therefore, scrapped the summary dismissal but allowed the zoo to terminate the man’s employment contract in the regular manner.

Diergaarde Blijdorp may terminate the employment contract as of March 2025. The zoo must pay the man’s salary for the intervening six months, with a fine of 10 percent. That amounts to roughly 20,000 euros. The employer must also pay a transition allowance of over 51,000 euros.