The Workplace Relations Commission awarded Darragh O’Farrell €45,000 after finding that Campbell Catering Limited Trading as Aramark Ireland unfairly dismissed him during the Covid-19 pandemic. The WRC also directed the company to pay him €821 for five days of annual leave. Adjudication Officer Kevin Baneham issued the decision dated 4 May 2022.
O’Farrell was a general manager for sporting events. The company said the pandemic had caused its business to collapse as events were cancelled, making his role redundant. O’Farrell argued that the process was rushed and that the company had not properly explained why his job was going or considered other work he could do.
The WRC found that his skills could have been used across the company’s businesses, including in shorter-term roles. It said the company should have assessed alternatives over a longer period, given the uncertainty and limited prospects during the first lockdown. It therefore found the dismissal premature and unfair.
The €45,000 compensation covered financial loss after the dismissal. The WRC did not include loss of a redundancy payment because O’Farrell had already received a redundancy lump sum. On annual leave, it found he was due five days, valued at €821.