The Thimphu District Court has ruled in favour of a former communications manager of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Bhutan country office, stating that the organisation dismissed the employee without following due process. The court ordered WWF to compensate him along with legal costs. The judgment was delivered last week. So far, no appeal has been filed.
The employee joined WWF as a communications manager in June 2020 on a three-year contract, which was renewed for another three years in June 2023. His annual performance reviews from 2021 to 2023 were positive.
In November 2022, WWF announced a new senior communications and marketing manager position. The employee claimed that this move was intended to remove him from the post. Despite earlier positive reviews, WWF cited the employee’s unsatisfactory performance in 2024.
The employee was asked to resign in March 2024 and again in April 2024. He appealed to both the country office and WWF headquarters in the United States but received no support from the management.
In December 2024, he filed a complaint with the Chief Labour Administrator. The Department of Labour’s investigation concluded that WWF had breached Sections 90 and 91 of the Labour and Employment Act 2007 by not adhering to prescribed redundancy procedures, failing to consult affected employees, and neglecting to notify the Chief Labour Administrator.
The employee challenged his dismissal in court and asked for reinstatement, claiming it was unlawful and caused him financial losses of more than Nu 4 M. The court ruled that the dismissal was based upon economic reasons and ordered WWF to pay a year’s salary to the employee within three months from the date of judgment, along with legal costs amounting to Nu 380,000.
Kinzang Lhadon
