Courts / Laois / Report

Ireland's only ladder firm must pay €6k for breaching maternity leave protections

Date
2025-10-28

Stage
Hearing Or Decision

Primary locality
Stradbally

County
Laois

Summary

Stradbally Ladders Ltd, Ireland's only ladder factory, was ordered to pay €6,000 in compensation to former administrative assistant Joanne Kennedy for breaching maternity leave protections. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) adjudication officer, Peter O'Brien, found that while a genuine redundancy situation existed, the company acted in total breach of the Maternity Protection Act by dismissing Ms Kennedy at the end of her protective leave without engaging in alternatives. The firm had made her redundant in July 2024, effective September 2024, after she requested parental leave. The adjudicator noted that the employer's decision not to issue notice before her leave did not eliminate its legal obligation to allow her return to work. Ms Kennedy's solicitors argued she was unfairly selected and denied an independent hearing during her appeal. The company contended that new automated systems rendered the administrative role unnecessary and that they avoided notifying her during her pregnancy-related sick leave. In addition to the €6,000 unfair dismissal award, the adjudicator granted a further €38 in interest compensation. This followed the company's admission of a genuine error under the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act 1973, where they failed to pay two weeks' notice until eight months after the termination. The company had rectified the notice payment with a €1,260 cheque, but the adjudicator awarded interest for the delay.