In this Case Update series, I share summaries of recent Malaysian court decisions to explore the current approach taken by the courts when deciding on employment-related issues. You can find all the posts in the series by clicking here, including case updates on other legal areas by TheMalaysianLawyer co-founder Lee Shih.
Malaysian employment law is relatively pro-employee when it comes to termination of employment. Based on the fundamental principle of security of tenure, any termination by an employer must be with just cause. In practice, just cause can sometimes be difficult to establish.
To avoid having to establish just cause — and to terminate an employment relationship without being exposed to the risk of an unfair dismissal claim — many employers opt to negotiate a mutual separation with the employee.
Typically, some form of monetary compensation (and sometimes other terms as well) is negotiated between the parties, and documented in a mutual separation agreement. The agreement will usually contain a clause to the effect that the employee confirms that the separation package and terms are in full settlement of any claims the employee may have, and that the employee will not bring an unfair dismissal claim.
So what happens where a mutual separation agreement is signed, and the employer makes the agreed compensation payment, but the employee then proceeds to file an unfair dismissal claim?
The relevant legal principles were recently considered by the Industrial Court in Raul Fabrizio Casserini v. George Fischer (M) Sdn Bhd [2017] 3 ILR.
