The nation's top court Thursday ruled giving pink slips via email is legitimate as long as the grounds and timing for dismissal is clearly stated.
  

The Supreme Court, upholding a lower court's decision, ruled against a plaintiff who filed a suit against the National Labor Relations Commission, stating his dismissal was unfair as he received the notice through email.
  

The plaintiff, who was fired in July 2013 for alleged negligence, disobedience and overuse of the company credit card, claimed the company violated the Labor Standards Act, which requires employers to send dismissal notices in writing.
  

The court, however, said the reasons and date of dismissal was clearly stated in the email document, making it possible for the plaintiff to respond to the decision. The court said the purpose of the current law is to allow some room for employees to respond to company's decisions.
  

"Electronic documents are not much different from written ones, and they guarantee better durability and accuracy," Judge Kim Shin said. "As long as notices state the reason and time of the dismissal, allowing employees to respond to them, sending them through email is also valid." (Yonhap)