No, he was fired, he just continues to get paid. This would be true for almost any worker in Europe, unless you could prove in court that he/she had been gross

No, he was fired, he just continues to get paid. This would be true for almost any worker in Europe, unless you could prove in court that he/she had been grossly incompetent -- and such a case could drag on for years and cost as much as the severance pay.