Threats against manager cost worker his final month’s pay
Friday 23rd October 2026 on 19:15 in
Iceland
Reykjanes District Court has rejected a former employee’s claim for wages and holiday pay for the final month of his notice period, mbl.is reported. The court found that he had made violent threats against his manager and used abusive language, giving the company grounds to terminate his employment without notice or warning.
The judgment was issued on October 20 and published on Friday. The court ordered each party to bear its own legal costs.
The man started working for the company in August 2024 and resigned at the end of May 2025. His notice period was three months, and he worked in June and July. He did not work in August, following a heated exchange with the company’s managing director on July 31 over deductions for tax from his wages.
The two men gave different accounts of the argument. The former employee said the managing director became angry, sent him away from the workplace and threatened to call the police. He said he had asked why the police needed to be called and whether the manager thought he would rip his head off, but denied making a threat.
The managing director said the employee lost his temper, insulted him and threatened to kill him and rip his head off. The employee contacted the VR trade union, whose representative offered his services for the rest of the notice period. The company refused, saying he had threatened the managing director’s life.
The court found that the employee had used abusive language. A former colleague confirmed the language but could not confirm that threats had been made. The managing director’s wife testified that he had made violent threats, but the court gave her evidence limited weight because of her connection to the parties.
Considering all the testimony, the court found the employee’s claim that the remark about ripping off the manager’s head was a question rather than a threat not credible. It also said that, even if his explanation were accepted, the words could still be considered threatening in the circumstances.
The court concluded that the employee had threatened, or at least implied, that he would rip off his manager’s head. Along with his abusive language, this justified the company’s immediate termination of the employment contract. He was therefore not entitled to pay for the final month of his notice period.