Former IFI chairwoman tells WRC O’Donnell could return to a previous role

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Former Inland Fisheries Ireland chairwoman Prof Frances Lucy told the Workplace Relations Commission that her understanding was that former chief executive Francis O’Donnell could return to another role when his term ended. She said this understanding was based on precedent, including O’Donnell’s predecessor as chief executive returning to a director role.

O’Donnell is pursuing complaints against IFI under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, the Payment of Wages Act 1997 and the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977. IFI’s counsel argued that O’Donnell’s circumstances differed from those of his predecessor. The hearing also heard a separate account from IFI finance director Suzanne Campion that O’Donnell had given the former head of human resources a prepared letter stating he had a right to return as a regional director; O’Donnell denied this.