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WRC criticises 'cynical' use of Covid to oust restaurant founder and sons from group
Summary
In a 2024 WRC ruling, the tribunal found that after PBR Restaurants Ltd was bought out of examinership in December 2019, the new management used the Covid‑19 pandemic to carry out a "blinkered, cynical" redundancy process that targeted founder Padraic Hanley and his three sons. The tribunal awarded Stephen Hanley €61,549 in total, including €46,385 for unfair dismissal, €13,800 statutory redundancy, €11,596 for a working‑time breach and €3,568 for a failure to provide written terms. His brothers David and Phillip received €20,000 and €30,000 respectively for unfair dismissal, while their father received €5,500 for a breach of the Terms of Employment (Information) Act but failed in his dismissal claim. The decision brought the total awards to the Hanley family to over €117,049, and PBR Restaurants Ltd was ordered to pay €130,318 to former employees who alleged unfair dismissal following the buyout.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: WRC criticises 'cynical' use of Covid to oust restaurant founder and sons from group. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial
When:
- December 2019 Other
- March 2020 Other
- 2024-05-03 Publication
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