Court weighs immediate dismissal after 19 years at Keutschach municipality

A regional court in Klagenfurt is considering whether the immediate dismissal of a financial administrator at the Keutschach municipality was lawful, ORF reported. The employee lost her job after 19 years. The court heard its final witnesses on Monday, including Mayor Gerhard Oleschko, who appeared for the first time.

The dispute concerns municipal documents that the audit committee wanted to examine. The financial administrator printed the documents and handed them to a committee member.

Oleschko told the court that he had expressly ordered that such documents not be distributed. In his view, the audit committee could inspect them only jointly during a meeting. He described the employee’s decision to pass on the documents as a breach of trust and said it was the reason for the immediate dismissal.

The municipality’s current head of administration also said the mayor’s instruction had been clear, understandable and never revoked. The former employee disagreed, arguing that she was allowed to provide the documents to the audit committee. She is seeking to return to her job.

The court also examined how the dismissal was carried out. The municipality’s staff representative said Oleschko had informed her by telephone. However, she said she had not received the written reason for dismissal that was required at the time.

After several days of hearings and numerous witness statements, the proceedings have closed. The court will issue its decision in writing.