WRC finds Applus team leader was fairly dismissed after vehicle test breach

The Workplace Relations Commission found that Applus Inspection Services Ireland Ltd fairly dismissed team leader John Farrell after he admitted bringing a garage owner's vehicle to a test centre and testing it himself. The unfair-dismissal complaint was not well founded. The decision was dated 25 November 2021. Farrell argued that the allegations and disciplinary process were unclear and that dismissal was disproportionate. Applus said testing a vehicle he did not own breached its Code of Ethics. The adjudication officer found that the test was a serious breach of the company's procedures, taking account of Farrell's senior role and responsibility for test processes. The officer also found that the disciplinary process followed company procedures.