Courts / Dublin / Report

Leading foundry used Covid as 'opportunity' to get rid of oldest employee, WRC finds

Summary

A leading bronze foundry, Crucible Arts Services and Technology Cast Ltd, has been found by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) to have used the Covid-19 pandemic as an opportunity to remove its oldest and longest-serving employee, Kathryn Hartnett, from the workplace. The WRC adjudicator, Penelope McGrath, stated that the company had chosen to alienate, ostracise, and belittle Ms Hartnett rather than offer her early retirement or redundancy. Ms Hartnett, who had worked at the foundry since 1997, was left out of the return to work process and was informed by the company's director that she should consider herself 'lucky to be on the PUP'. The WRC upheld her complaints under several employment acts, awarding her €25,350 in compensation, including €17,500 for discrimination, €4,000 for unpaid wages, €3,600 for public holiday pay, and €650 for failure to provide written terms of employment.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Leading foundry used Covid as 'opportunity' to get rid of oldest employee, WRC finds. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• April 1997 Other
• 20 March 2020 Other
• 23 October 2020 Other
• 15 December Other
• March 2020 Other
• 2022-07-13 Publication

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

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Read the original CNI report