Courts / Ireland / Report
Restaurant chain must pay former owner's son for unfair dismissal
2023-01-23
Hearing Or Decision
Summary
In a January 2023 decision, the Workplace Relations Commission ordered PBR Restaurants Ltd, trading as Fish Shack Café, to pay €30,000 to Philip Hanley for unfair dismissal. Hanley, the son of the chain's founder, was dismissed after a new investor took over the firm in February 2020 and offered the Hanley family non‑voting share rights, which they refused. The company placed Hanley on unpaid layoff for four weeks before terminating his employment in August 2020, citing a genuine redundancy situation linked to the closure of two restaurants and the impact of Covid‑19. The tribunal found the dismissal procedurally unfair, criticised the HR firm handling the appeal for lack of impartiality, and upheld the unfair dismissal complaint. Hanley also sought €9,163 under the Payment of Wages Act for layoff pay, but the tribunal awarded no compensation due to pandemic‑related considerations.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Restaurant chain must pay former owner's son for unfair dismissal. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision
When:
- February 2020 Other
- August 2019 Other
- July 2020 Other
- 17 September 2020 Hearing Or Sentence
- August 2020 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2023-01-23 Publication
Case subjects
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