Courts / Ireland / Report

IT worker turned down for alternate job over lack of honours degree wins €17k

Summary

Paul Atkinson, an IT engineer at PFH Technology Group, was dismissed in March 2023 after a redundancy consultation that his lawyers claimed was a sham. The company had told him his contract would end in November 2022 and had offered him a four‑day week with a pay cut, which he refused. Atkinson's CV lacked a level 8 honours degree, a requirement for some US clients, and he was told he was unsuitable for alternative roles. The Workplace Relations Commission found PFH had not fully explored viable options or provided an appeal, deeming the redundancy "genuine" but "unfair" because the employer fell short of its legal duties. Atkinson was awarded €17,831.29 in compensation, in addition to his statutory redundancy lump sum and salary paid on a five‑day week up to mid‑March 2023. The decision was made under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: IT worker turned down for alternate job over lack of honours degree wins €17k. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• November 2022 Other
• March 2023 Other
• October 2021 Other
• 2024-05-17 Publication

Why: An IT engineer facing redundancy who was deemed "unsuitable" for an alternative job in part because he didn't have a level 8 college degree has won over €17,000 for unfair dismissal on top of his statutory severance pay. CNI source report

Topics

Stage Trial

Read the original CNI report