The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) awarded Sean Rahill €37,500 after finding that Agrigear Limited unfairly dismissed him. The decision was dated 20 October 2022. The WRC also found that the company had not contravened the Terms of Employment (Information) Act.
Rahill said Agrigear told him he was redundant after he returned from temporary layoff, without consulting him or considering alternatives. The company said pandemic restrictions had affected its business and that his tenure had ended because of Covid’s impact.
The adjudicator found Rahill had not been told the redundancy selection criteria or given an opportunity to make representations, and that Agrigear had not considered alternatives such as redeployment, reduced hours or a pay cut. The company had not shown that the dismissal was fair. The compensation reflected estimated losses in the two years after dismissal.
On the separate written-terms complaint, the adjudicator accepted that Rahill had received an employee handbook containing his employment terms, and found the Act was not contravened.