Courts / Wexford / Report

Council worker who said colleague strangled him with seatbelt wins €20k

Date
2023-06-23

Stage
Charge Or Pretrial

Primary locality
Wexford

County
Wexford

Summary

Patrick O'Connor, a Wexford County Council worker, was awarded €20,000 by the Workplace Relations Commission for penalisation under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. O'Connor alleged that a colleague, identified as Mr F, strangled him with a seatbelt in November 2019 and later threatened to "sort [him] out" during a July 2021 confrontation at the 1798 Rebellion centre in Enniscorthy. Following a formal complaint, O'Connor claimed he suffered diminished duties, isolation, and blocked overtime. The council's HR officer, Ciara O'Reilly, stated the complaint was investigated and not upheld, denying that O'Connor was ostracised or lost overtime. However, adjudicating officer Niamh O'Carroll found O'Connor to be a credible witness and noted the council lacked supporting documentation for its position. The tribunal ruled that the council's failure to investigate and the resulting detriments were "at the most serious end of the scale." The decision, published this morning, upheld the complaint and awarded compensation, rejecting the council's defense that no procedural breaches occurred.