WRC awards film worker Paul Arkins €7,495 over employment terms

The Workplace Relations Commission awarded film worker Paul Arkins €7,495 after finding his written statement of employment terms deficient. The decision, dated 15 December 2023, also found his unpaid-wages complaint not well founded; a separate working-time complaint was withdrawn. Arkins said he had worked on film and television productions for Metropolitan Films and associated companies since 2000, with breaks between productions. The adjudication officer found Metropolitan Films International Limited was his employer and that his employment continued during lay-offs until he was not recalled in December 2019. She found the complaints were submitted in time. The award was four weeks’ pay because the statement gave the wrong employer details and an incorrect start date. Arkins claimed wages for the period after his work on Vikings 6 ended in December 2018. The officer found an implied agreement for lay-off and that wages were not properly payable while he did no work. He had also alleged that he was not recalled because of his union membership; that allegation was not determined.