The Fight for Worker’s Well-being: Supreme Court Upholds Ruling Classifying Supermarket Worker’s Suicide as Work Accident

In April 2021, a supermarket chain worker in Cantabria took his own life, leading to a contentious legal battle over whether his death should be classified as a work accident. The Supreme Court has now upheld a ruling that determined the suicide to be a work accident, rejecting an appeal filed by the company.

The Social Chamber had previously rejected an appeal filed by the company against a decision by the Superior Court of Justice of Cantabria, which had classified the worker’s suicide as a work accident and ordered compensation and pensions to be paid to his family. The ruling highlighted the lack of evaluation of psychosocial risks in the workplace and the company’s failure to implement preventative measures to address these risks, which were deemed to be contributing factors to the suicide.

The employee had faced workplace harassment complaints before his transfer to a different location within the supermarket chain. He had expressed concern about potential legal consequences related to the harassment complaint before his death, indicating a clear link between the work environment and his decision to take his own life. Despite the company’s argument that the death was due to a common illness rather than a work accident, the Supreme Court found that there was no evidence of pre-existing psychiatric conditions that could have attributed the suicide to factors unrelated to work.

The ruling distinguished this case from another involving a bank director in Tenerife, where multiple stressors were determined as causes of death rather than exclusively work-related factors. This underscores how important it is for employers prioritize their employees’ well-being and take necessary steps to prevent situations that can lead tragic outcomes like suicide. The Supreme Court’s decision serves as an important reminder for employers across industries about their responsibility towards their workers’ mental health and safety.