The WRC awarded a staff nurse €6,000 and one week’s annual leave after finding that a social care service failed to afford her natural justice. The decision was dated 12 May 2017. The nurse worked for a Dublin based voluntary organisation providing health and social care services in partnership with the HSE.
The nurse, represented by INMO, said management asked her to give a statement before she received the written complaint, excluded her from preliminary screening and placed her on paid administrative leave. The employer said the leave was a safeguarding measure, she suffered no financial loss and she was reinstated after a later screening found no further investigation was warranted.
The adjudication officer found that the nurse was asked to prepare a statement before being given the complaint. He said management acted hastily and ill-foundedly in placing her on leave, and that its decision failed to afford her natural justice. He upheld the complaint and awarded €6,000 compensation, exempt from tax, and one week’s annual leave to be taken by agreement.