{
  "id": 12111942,
  "title": "Mercadona worker fired after detectives uncover his secret during shifts",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/mercadona-worker-fired-after-detectives-uncover-his-secret-during",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-05T09:01:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euro Weekly News",
    "slug": "euro-weekly-news",
    "url": "https://euroweeklynews.com/2026/10/05/mercadona-worker-fired-after-detectives-uncover-his-secret-during-shifts/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "An employee at a Mercadona supermarket in Almería has been fired after 25 years of service following a disciplinary investigation. The company brought in a private detective to monitor the employee during July 2024 after receiving complaints about his conduct, including alleged breaches of his working schedule, unexplained absences, treatment of colleagues, and alcohol consumption during working hours. The investigation revealed that the employee drank beer during shifts on multiple occasions, took a stash of beer from his car and drank it before driving away, and left work to go to the beach. The court considered the overall pattern of his misconduct, including the repeated incidents, his failure to follow his working schedule, and his absences as the reasons for his dismissal. The employee appealed the decision but the case was ultimately rejected by the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Andalucía, upholding the dismissal. The ruling confirms that the evidence gathered during the investigation was sufficient to justify the disciplinary action taken by Mercadona.",
  "summary": "If you were earning more than €3,300 a month after tax, you might think you had found a job worth […]",
  "key_points": [
    "Mercadona employee fired after 25 years for misconduct",
    "Private detective monitored worker during July 2024",
    "Court upholds dismissal based on repeated misconduct"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}