Courts / Waterford / Report
Shop workers let go 10 days before Christmas win over €40k for breaches
Summary
Four convenience‑store workers in County Waterford – Bridget Browne, Bridget Harrington, Alexander Novakovsky and Joanna Yahyaoui – secured orders for redundancy and notice pay from the Workplace Relations Commission after being dismissed ten days before Christmas 2022. The workers had worked part‑time at a Your Stop store on O'Connell Street, Dungarvan, and a Gala‑branded shop on Main Street, Tallow, for a combined service of over 23 years. Their former employer, sole trader Philip Kane, had agreed to take over the stores but claimed he had not legally acquired the businesses and therefore was not liable for redundancy payments. The tribunal found that Kane was the employer from 11 April 2022 and that the ten‑day notice was too short. He was ordered to pay the workers €5,998.50 in pay‑in‑lieu of notice and redundancy sums ranging from €2,000 to €12,000, totalling about €43,000. The decision was published in July 2023.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Shop workers let go 10 days before Christmas win over €40k for breaches. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision
When:
- November 2022 Other
- 11 April 2022 Other
- 16 December Other
- April 2022 Other
- Christmas Other
- 2023-10-09 Publication
Why: At a series of hearings in July this year, Mr Kane insisted he could not be held liable for the workers' redundancy payments because, he claimed, he had not actually acquired the business – and that the workers should have brought claims against the first firm. CNI source report
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