Commerzbank employee sues over 'missing' bonus

Gregory Weir, former head of business re-engineering in Frankfurt, said that an English translation prepared for him by the bank promised him a guaranteed bonus, while the German version said any bonus would be discretionary.

He signed the version in German, which he cannot read fluently.

Weir, who was born in South Africa, said the English version promised him a bonus of €25,000 ($24,500) payable in May 2003. He joined Commerzbank in Frankfurt in March and left in September at the end of his probationary period.

Weir's lawyer in Germany said a claim for the bonus was filed at a Frankfurt employment tribunal last week.

He said: "I'm sure it's just a mix-up inside the bank. I don't believe that anyone would have done this deliberately."

A Commerzbank lawyer said he could not comment on the case as the bank had not yet received the claim document.

But he confirmed that the firm had been in discussions with Weir about his allegations.

Weir said that with hindsight, he had been naïve not to have the German contract checked by a lawyer. But the English version had been consistent with what had already been agreed verbally, he said.