A worker for telecom company KPN has been sacked after 35 years of service because he let his daughter use a wifi router against company rules.

The girl, a student at Eindhoven university, was without internet for a time and her father borrowed a wifi hotspot box, known as a Mifi, from work so that she could use it. The box had a data limit of eight GB per month and the girl ran up a bill of €3,690 within six weeks watching online films.

Once the alarm bell sounded at KPN headquarters, the man was summoned to explain and sacked on the spot for using KPN equipment on a private basis.

He went to court to fight the redundancy, arguing that he had told the company he had borrowed the router and had offered to pay his daughter’s bill as well. He claimed in court that KPN turns a blind eye to the private use of company property and that his boss even had two digital television units at home.

The Utrecht court, however, ruled that KPN staff are not allowed to use company equipment privately. Given the man had been warned earlier for using a company iPad and camera privately and had a position of responsibility, the company was within its rights to sack him, the court said.

Appeal

Neither the man or his lawyer have commented. But lawyer Bernard Cornelissen, who wrote about the case online, said he should appeal.

‘I think he has been treated extremely badly,’ Cornelissen said. ‘He’s worked for 35 years for KPN and now may have to claim welfare benefits.’ People who are considered to have made themselves redundant are not allowed to claim unemployment benefit.

KPN told broadcaster Nos in a reaction that its workers are well aware of the rules. ‘If the rules are not kept, then sanctions, such as being sacked, are an option,’ a spokesman said.