Courts / Ireland / Report

Calling manager 'useless' not a sacking offence, WRC finds

Summary

The Workplace Relations Commission ordered Tesco Ireland Ltd to re‑employ Cathal Hussey, a warehouse operative who had been dismissed in November 2023 after calling his line manager Martynas Bajarunas "useless" during a performance review. The tribunal found that Tesco had over‑reacted, upgrading a final written warning to summary dismissal without sufficient justification. SIPTU argued that Hussey's remark was part of a legitimate grievance about management's handling of concerns, and that the dismissal was a crude exercise of power. The tribunal noted that the 12‑page document Hussey produced was deemed "unreasonable, disrespectful and improper" by the investigator, but that the escalation to dismissal was not justified. Adjudicator Eileen Campbell upheld Hussey's complaint, rejected a full reinstatement remedy, and directed Tesco to re‑engage him by mid‑August with the warning remaining on file for a year and the dismissal period treated as unpaid suspension.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Calling manager 'useless' not a sacking offence, WRC finds. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial

When:

• 25 November 2023 Other
• January 2024 Other
• 19 January Other
• 2025-07-31 Publication

Why: '" The witness said he felt "harassed, stressed and bullied" by the remark, adding later that he had made a formal complaint because he felt "unsafe coming to work". CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Charge Or Pretrial

Read the original CNI report