Courts / Ireland / Report

'Clearly inappropriate' for worker to live in house owned by boss without formal records, WRC finds

Summary

An adjudicator of the Workplace Relations Commission found it "clearly inappropriate" that a restaurant managing director collected €193 a week in cash from a waitress who lived in a shared house owned by the director, without any formal tenancy agreement or written record. The waitress, employed on a work permit, claimed she suffered illegal wage deductions and that the director demanded €7,500 to facilitate her visa renewal, after which she was dismissed. The director denied the allegations, stating the payments were agreed rent and that the waitress had resigned verbally. The tribunal rejected the wage‑deduction claim under the Payment of Wages Act but awarded the waitress nearly €12,000 for employment rights breaches, including unfair dismissal and multiple working‑time violations. The decision noted the director's failure to maintain proper tenancy documentation and to follow grievance procedures before dismissal. The total award was €11,730.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 'Clearly inappropriate' for worker to live in house owned by boss without formal records, WRC finds. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• May 2022 Other
• 9 May 2022 Other
• May 2020 Other
• 2024-08-01 Publication

Case subjects

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

Read the original CNI report