Courts / Ireland / Report
Pharma multinational's staff told jobs 'safe' days before redundancies started, WRC hears
2026-04-28
Hearing Or Decision
Summary
A former senior manager at a multinational pharma firm, Tracey Kivlehan, is challenging the termination of her employment in 2024 on the grounds of redundancy at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). Kivlehan, who held a €90,000-a-year role as head of hospitals and speciality brands at Accord Healthcare Ireland Ltd, was informed by the company's managing director, Padraig O'Brien, that her position was at risk just a week after being told that her team in Ireland was 'safe' following the announcement of job cuts. Kivlehan claims that her role was merged with a vacant marketing position to create a new role requiring 'sufficient clinical knowledge' as part of the company's strategic shift towards 'pioneering patented products'. She alleges that her performance was unfairly assessed, leading to a development plan and ultimately her redundancy. O'Brien stated that the company aimed to keep the team calm and that the redundancy process was an informal upskilling initiative. Kivlehan, however, viewed the process as an 'attack' on her abilities. The case has been adjourned until later in the year for further proceedings.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Pharma multinational's staff told jobs 'safe' days before redundancies started, WRC hears. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision
When:
- October 2024 Incident
- 17 September 2024 Other
- July 2024 Incident
- 2026-04-28 Publication
Topics
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