The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) awarded stagehand Thomas Arkins Jnr €6,405 after finding that Metropolitan Films International Limited failed to provide correct written employment terms. Adjudication Officer Catherine Byrne’s decision was dated 15 December 2023.
Arkins said he worked on film and television productions for the company group from 2010, with breaks between productions. The company argued that he was employed by production-specific companies and that his complaints were outside the time limit. The officer found that Metropolitan Films International Limited was his employer and that the complaints were in time.
The written-terms complaint was upheld because the contract gave an incorrect employer name and address and an incorrect start date. The €6,405 award was equivalent to four weeks’ pay. A separate complaint that wages were unlawfully withheld during lay-offs was found not well founded because wages were not payable while Arkins did no work. His working-time complaint was withdrawn.