WRC finds retailer fairly dismissed shop assistant after four-year absence

The WRC found that a retailer fairly dismissed a shop assistant after she had been absent for four years and there was little prospect of her returning in the near future. The unfair-dismissal complaint was not well founded. The worker said her dismissal followed a workplace incident and that the retailer had not done enough to address her concerns or help her return. The retailer said it investigated the incident, disciplined the other employee and considered options including a transfer. The WRC decision was dated 12 June 2017.