Brian Meagher ordered back to work after unfair dismissal ruling

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The Workplace Relations Commission ruled that Brian Meagher was unfairly dismissed by the Irish Prison Service after going absent without leave to fight in Ukraine, and ordered his re-engagement. The reports describing that decision were published on 27 August 2025.

The adjudicator said the Prison Service’s case was “lopsided” and did not adequately represent Meagher’s reasons for leaving, his plan for a short absence, or the serious injuries and trauma he suffered. The WRC found that no formal hearing had allowed him to explain his departure and the shift cover he believed was arranged.

Reinstatement was not considered appropriate because Meagher had not followed the correct leave procedures. Instead, the WRC directed the Prison Service to re-engage him within six weeks, subject to a six-month probation period; his absence was to count as leave when calculating his salary increment and service benefits.

The WRC decision was later reported as under appeal to the Labour Court, with the appeal still awaiting a hearing in RTÉ’s 30 December 2025 review.