Courts / Cork / Report

PepsiCo site-banned cleaner after flies found ahead of internal audit, WRC hears

Date
2026-02-12
Stage
Hearing Or Decision
Primary locality
Carrigaline
County
Cork

Summary

A cleaning supervisor, Edel Kelly, has been left jobless after being banned from a PepsiCo factory in Carrigaline, Cork, following a dispute over hygiene. Kelly, who worked for Mount Charles, a contract cleaning firm, was banned in April 2025 after flies were found during an audit. She claimed the audit was not properly explained to her and that the site ban was unjustified. Kelly had worked at the factory for three years and said there were no prior issues with her team's work. She argued that the site ban effectively ended her employment as Mount Charles had no alternative roles for her in Belfast. Kelly is also pursuing a separate complaint under the European Communities (Protection of Employees on Transfer of Undertakings) Regulations 2003, alleging that Bidvest Noonan, the new cleaning contractor, breached the regulations by refusing to transfer her into its employment. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) hearing heard that PepsiCo's human resources lead confirmed Kelly was an employee of Mount Charles and that she had no appeal process with Pepsi to clear her name.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: PepsiCo site-banned cleaner after flies found ahead of internal audit, WRC hears. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

Why: I went in, against my better judgment because my manager at Mount Charles had told me not to because it wasn't on our scope of works," she said. CNI source report

Case subjects

Edel Kelly

Applicant

Places mentioned

Secondary Mention

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

Related court reports

Read the original CNI report

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