Tesco ordered to re-engage worker after WRC found dismissal unreasonable

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

The Workplace Relations Commission upheld Cathal Hussey’s unfair dismissal complaint against Tesco Ireland Ltd after finding the supermarket had not justified escalating his final written warning to summary dismissal. The case followed a performance review in which Hussey called his manager “useless”; the adjudicator said the conduct was unacceptable but the dismissal did not meet the required standard of reasonableness.

The WRC directed Tesco to re-engage Hussey, with a final written warning remaining on his file for a year and the period since dismissal treated as unpaid suspension. A later report on 14 November 2025 cited Hussey v Tesco as an example of re-engagement, noting the WRC considered Tesco’s size made redeployment easy. The supplied reports describe no subsequent change to that order.