Labour Court recommends ending Boots assistant manager’s demotion

The Labour Court recommended ending a Boots Retail Ireland Ltd Trading As Boots Ireland assistant manager’s demotion from 1 February 2015 and restoring her to her former grade. The decision was signed on 27 October 2015 after appeals by both the worker and management. The dispute followed an internal disciplinary process over a practical joke on a colleague during lunch. The union said the process and sanction were unfair and sought retrospective pay; management said the joke was inappropriate and the demotion and transfer were proportionate. The Court said some events could give rise to a perception of bias or lack of procedural fairness and found the disciplinary measures disproportionate. It also recommended that the worker be considered through the normal process for a transfer to her original store if she sought one.