Clive McCarthy awarded €5,337.68 in WRC employment terms case

The Workplace Relations Commission awarded stagehand Clive McCarthy €5,337.68 after finding his complaint about his employment terms well founded. It found his wages complaint not well founded and recorded a separate working-time complaint as withdrawn. In a decision dated 15 December 2023, WRC Adjudication Officer Catherine Byrne found McCarthy was employed by Metropolitan Films International Limited. McCarthy said he had worked on the company’s film and television productions since 2013. He argued his contract misstated his employer and start date, and that unpaid wages during a lay-off were an unlawful deduction. The company argued separate production companies employed him and that his complaints were late. The WRC found the contract gave the wrong employer name and address and an incorrect start date. It directed the company to pay compensation equivalent to four weeks’ pay, calculated at €5,337.68. The wages complaint failed because wages were not payable during a lay-off when no work was done. McCarthy’s working-time complaint was withdrawn.