The WRC awarded Alyson Marley €15,000 after finding that Entry Point North Ireland Designated Activity Company Entry Point North Ireland had not objectively justified renewing her fixed-term contract. The decision was dated 20 September 2021.
Marley, a simulator pilot, said she was entitled to a contract of indefinite duration and had suffered financial loss. The company cited pandemic-related cancellations, financial pressure and uncertainty, and said it had offered her a further fixed-term contract or redundancy.
The officer found the January 2021 contract had no clearly determinable objective end condition. Managing costs was a legitimate aim, but continuing to use fixed-term contracts was not necessary to achieve it. Contingency staffing had not been given as a reason in the letter explaining the decision or in the contract.
Marley had since received a permanent contract, so the WRC awarded €15,000 compensation for the breach, with no loss-of-earnings element. Three other complaints were not well founded: the company had given written reasons for not offering a permanent contract, Marley was not underpaid for hours worked, and no evidence of penalisation was presented.