The Workplace Relations Commission awarded a worker €12,800 for unfair dismissal and €1,600 in lieu of notice after finding that a company had ended his employment without fair procedures. Adjudication officer Patsy Doyle dated the decision 7 April 2016.
The company argued that the worker was self-employed and that a €13,000 compromise payment had ended his association with the business. The WRC found he was an employee and the agreement was void because it was incomplete and he lacked adequate legal advice and informed consent.
The WRC found the company had stopped his salary and card access without adequate procedures, making the dismissal unfair. It also found that he contributed significantly to his dismissal. Compensation of €25,800 was reduced to €12,800 after accounting for the €13,000 payment. His annual-leave complaint failed because he had taken his leave; a separate industrial-relations dispute resulted in a recommendation that the parties arrange the dignified return of his belongings.