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Supermarket must pay €40k to manager sacked after drinking himself 'comatose'

Date
2022-10-28
Stage
Hearing Or Decision
Primary locality
Muinebeag (Bagenalstown)
County
Carlow

Summary

A supermarket in Bagenalstown, Co. Carlow, was ordered to pay €39,750 to former manager Eamon Murphy after his dismissal was found discriminatory. Murphy, who had a history of alcohol‑related incidents, was sacked following an incident on 24 October 2022 when he brought a large quantity of vodka to work and drank until he became comatose. The Workplace Relations Commission ruled that the dismissal was not justified by a breach of trust because Murphy was an alcoholic, a recognised disability. The tribunal upheld Murphy's complaint, noting that the employer had not provided reasonable accommodation or sought professional addiction support before dismissal. The decision was based on the Employment Equality Act, with the tribunal finding discrimination on the grounds of disability and failure to provide reasonable accommodation. The supermarket was required to pay the full amount of €39,750 to Murphy.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Supermarket must pay €40k to manager sacked after drinking himself 'comatose'. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

Why: The Workplace Relations Commission found the manager had been discriminatorily sacked because he was an alcoholic, and that in the absence of precedent in the area, it could not accept the breach of trust as a defence for discrimination. Defence account reported by CNI

Case subjects

Eamon Murphy

Applicant

Places mentioned

Secondary Mention

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

Related court reports

Read the original CNI report

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