The Workplace Relations Commission found Terence Varian was unfairly dismissed by Sodexo Ireland Limited and ordered the company to pay him €47,552 in compensation, equal to 40 weeks’ gross pay.
In a decision dated 17 December 2021, Adjudication Officer Patsy Doyle found the redundancy process fell short of fairness. Sodexo cited reduced footfall during the pandemic and said Varian had not engaged with consultation or efforts to find alternative work. The WRC accepted that he did not engage with consultation, but found there was insufficient detail to establish a genuine redundancy, his role was not properly incorporated after the transfer, and the search for other work fell short of fair practice.
The WRC also found Varian had played a part in his dismissal. It declined to reinstate or re-engage him and ordered compensation instead. A separate complaint about the transferee’s observance of his previous employment terms was withdrawn at the hearing.