Courts / Waterford / Report
Youth worker wins €55k for unfair dismissal amid 17-year dispute with local training board
Summary
Teacher Úna Dunphy, a Waterford City youth worker, secured €55,000 in compensation for unfair dismissal after a 17‑year dispute with the Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board (WWETB). The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) found that Dunphy had not proven whistleblower penalisation, despite claiming her dismissal was linked to reporting concerns about external funding from 2008. Dunphy had been employed at the Waterford Youth Training and Education Centre (WYTEC) since 2002 and later transferred to the Subla YouthReach centre in 2013, a move she described as temporary and protested. She was dismissed in April 2019 for gross misconduct, following a period of work‑related stress and a protected disclosure to Minister John Halligan. The WRC awarded her €55,000 and an order for four months' pay that had been withheld, citing the employer's failure to provide a fair hearing or consider alternatives to dismissal. The decision was issued after extensive documentation and hearings spanning from 2023 to 2024.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Youth worker wins €55k for unfair dismissal amid 17-year dispute with local training board. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision
When:
- August 2009 Other
- March 2013 Other
- June 2018 Other
- 28 August 2018 Other
- 5 September Other
- 20 September 2018 Other
- April 2019 Other
- September 2018 Other
- March 2019 Other
- September 2023 Other
- March 2024 Other
- 2025-10-08 Publication
Places mentioned
Topics
Related court reports
- Mentally ill man who put fellow psychiatric patient in chokehold to be immediately released into care of UK parents
- Former Christian Brothers accused of breach of duty to be named in national newspaper
- Murderer claims reference to Conor McGregor brought 'toxic masculinity' baggage
- Combined 15-year sentence for violent rape and abuse is upheld
- High Court to consider publishing names of 340 former Christian Brothers
- Disability charity boss wins record €323k for 'egregious' whistleblower penalisation
If a fact, identity, locality or legal outcome needs review, email the newsroom with this report's details prefilled.
Email a correction request