Courts / Ireland / Report

Shop manager wins €40k for whistleblower retaliation over 'under the counter' wages

Summary

In a Workplace Relations Commission hearing, Ms A, a shop manager who had worked for the convenience store for over a decade, won €40,000 after she reported that her employer was paying part of her wages "under the counter" from a separate account. Ms A had been promoted to manager in 2016 and was responsible for rostering, payroll and ordering stock. In 2023 the company transferred a new manager, Ms E, and Ms A's managerial duties were stripped, her hours were altered, and she was threatened with "consequences" when she returned the cash wages to the Revenue Commissioners as instructed. The tribunal found the employer had retaliated against Ms A for making a protected disclosure, breached the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, the Terms of Employment (Information) Act and the Payment of Wages Act 1991, and awarded her €40,000 in compensation and additional sums for payroll errors. The decision was made in the employer's absence.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Shop manager wins €40k for whistleblower retaliation over 'under the counter' wages. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• March 2023 Hearing Or Sentence
• June 2023 Other
• September 2023 Other
• 7 September Other
• Friday 22 September 2023 Other
• January 2024 Other
• 2024-06-10 Publication

Why: " The tribunal has ruled that the worker was stripped of managerial duties, threatened and put under pressure because she refused to cooperate with her employer's "illegal" actions. CNI source report

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

Read the original CNI report