WRC finds mushroom farm worker entitled to redundancy lump sum

A mushroom farm worker was found entitled to a statutory redundancy lump sum after her employer failed to make a formal alternative job offer, the Workplace Relations Commission decided in a decision dated 1 July 2016. The worker said she had been laid off while the farm was upgraded and later told production would not resume for at least another year. The employer said it had found alternative work for her with nearby mushroom farmers, which she rejected, and argued it could not afford a redundancy payment. The adjudication officer found the proposed alternative work did not meet the statutory requirements and that the worker was entitled to redundancy. The lump sum was based on service from 7 October 2011 to 24 April 2015 and gross weekly pay of €164, subject to the employment being insurable.