The Workplace Relations Commission has ordered Killarney Advertiser Limited to pay former employee Laura O'Regan €45,000 after finding she was unfairly dismissed for making a protected disclosure. The decision was dated 10 October 2024.
O'Regan worked as a receptionist and sales agent. She said she was dismissed after reporting safety concerns about a visitor who repeatedly came into the office and behaved abusively. The company said the dismissal was due to business needs and performance concerns, including sales targets.
The adjudication officer found that O'Regan's email to the company's Health and Safety Officer on 18 September 2019 raised risks to employees' safety and concern that the company was failing to meet its legal obligations. The officer concluded it was a protected disclosure, meaning a report of information that a worker reasonably believes shows wrongdoing.
The officer also found the dismissal was directly connected to the email. The company had not raised any performance issue with O'Regan before the day she was dismissed, one week after the email. The WRC ruled that she was unfairly dismissed and awarded €45,000 in compensation.