Courts / Ireland / Report

Carpenter branded 'trouble' and sacked over union membership wins €10k

Summary

A carpenter, Thomas Coffey, was dismissed by Cullenbridge Services Ltd (trading as Hollyfort Services) after a dispute over his pay rate. Coffey had agreed to €25.50 an hour in August 2022, but the company's commercial manager later claimed he was overpaid and should be paid €23 an hour. Coffey sought union intervention, and the union emailed the firm on 17 January. The next day, Coffey was told to leave the site and was dismissed. Internal emails revealed that the company viewed him as "trouble" and decided to sack him because of his union activity. The Workplace Relations Commission found the dismissal unfair, awarded Coffey €8,000 for lost earnings, ordered the company to pay €585 for a unilateral pay cut, and required payment of €1,101.16 in pension contributions plus a €500 compensation for the Industrial Relations Act breach. The total order was €10,186.16.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Carpenter branded 'trouble' and sacked over union membership wins €10k. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• August 2022 Other
• 17 January Other
• 8 December 2022 Other
• 18 January 2023 Other
• 2023-12-07 Publication

Why: The managing director said he lost confidence and trust in Mr Coffey because he had not brought the "error" to the company's attention and "continued to take money he knew was not rightfully his". CNI source report

Case subjects

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

Read the original CNI report