Courts / Galway / Report

Veteran hotel manager sacked in wake of 'poorly judged' remark about colleague's divorce wins €63k

Summary

A veteran HR manager at a Galway hotel has won €63,000 in compensation for unfair dismissal following a 'poorly judged' remark about a colleague's divorce. John Gannon, who had worked at the Imperial Hotel for over three decades, was sacked in November 2023 after a disciplinary meeting. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) found that while Gannon made an inappropriate comment about deputy general manager Donnacha Roche's divorce, the hotel failed to follow fair procedures. Multiple witnesses testified about the incident, which occurred in the hotel's lobby in October 2023. Gannon denied making the remark and claimed he was not given proper opportunity to respond before being dismissed. The WRC adjudicator, Louise Boyle, ruled that Gannon was 10% responsible for the dismissal but emphasized the hotel's failure to apply fair procedures. The hotel's CEO, Gabriel Reynolds, was criticized for not confirming the reasons for the dismissal.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Veteran hotel manager sacked in wake of 'poorly judged' remark about colleague's divorce wins €63k. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• November 2023 Other
• 17 October Incident
• Tuesday 14 November Other
• 2026-04-16 Publication

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

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Read the original CNI report