Courts / Dublin / Report

Sushi chef sacked while out sick after miscarriage awarded €8k

Date
2026-01-26
Stage
Hearing Or Decision
Primary locality
Sandyford
County
Dublin

Summary

A sushi chef who was dismissed while on sick leave following a miscarriage has been awarded €8,000 in compensation for unfair dismissal. Beacon Sushi Ltd, which operates Michie Sushi in Dublin, was found to have breached the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 following a complaint to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). The chef was terminated just days after suffering a miscarriage on 8 December 2024. The company's managing director, Michael Piare, sent a message of condolence but later terminated her employment via WhatsApp. The tribunal found that the company's stated reason for dismissal—breaches of absence reporting policy—was not reasonable given the employee's miscarriage. The adjudicator ruled the dismissal unfair and awarded the worker €8,000 for her losses.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Sushi chef sacked while out sick after miscarriage awarded €8k. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

Why: Adjudicator Breiffni O'Neill wrote in a decision published today that the employer's stated reason for dismissal – "technical breaches" of its absence reporting policy – was "neither reasonable nor proportionate" when management was "fully aware of the complainant's miscarriage". CNI source report

Places mentioned

Secondary Mention

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

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