Employee Fired for Self-Approved 20,000 Euro Salary Hike and Extra Vacation Days for Colleagues

A Spanish company has fired an employee for serious misconduct after she manipulated her own employment contract. The administrative employee, who had worked for the company since March 2018, was responsible for payroll and leave management. In this position, she unilaterally increased her gross annual salary by approximately 63%, from 32,187.69 euros to 52,403.65 euros.

Beyond her own pay raise, the employee also changed her professional category to a higher one and granted all her colleagues two additional vacation days, extending their annual leave from 30 to 32 days. These changes were made without the approval of the company's management, which is required for such alterations.

The company discovered the modifications between May and November 2023 and initiated disciplinary proceedings in January 2024, accusing the employee of a severe breach of good faith and fraud. The employee defended herself, but the company proceeded with her immediate dismissal on January 23, 2024, citing grave and culpable breaches of her work obligations.

A social court in Manresa upheld the company's decision on April 29, 2025, finding that the firm had justified grounds for dismissal. The employee's claims were rejected, though the court noted the company would not recover the excess salary paid.