Chemical waste worker awarded €28,341 for unfair dismissal

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

An unnamed chemical waste worker was awarded €28,341 by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) for unfair dismissal, in a decision reported on 1 November 2024.

The WRC found his formal bullying complaint was the clear motive for his dismissal. It rejected his claims that he had made protected safety disclosures about hazardous waste handling and was dismissed for doing so.

The employer did not contest the unfair dismissal complaint. The adjudicator awarded €23,642.17 for the dismissal, €3,747.05 for unpaid notice and €952.64 for unpaid wages.

The adjudicator accepted the bullying complaint as a protected act, but made no separate award for penalisation connected with it, saying she could not compensate him twice for the dismissal.