The Workplace Relations Commission found Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) Plc unlawfully deducted wages from Alan Deighan by cutting his working hours and pay to 60%. The decision was dated 3 January 2023.
Deighan, an airfield electrician, said the reduction imposed in October 2020 breached the Payment of Wages Act. DAA said the cuts were a reasonable response to the pandemic’s effect on revenue and that Deighan had been paid for the hours he worked.
The adjudication officer found Deighan’s contract gave DAA no right to reduce his hours and that his full wages remained properly payable. The officer concluded the shortfall was an illegal deduction under the Act. Although the complaint was well-founded, the officer made no compensation award, citing DAA’s financial pressures, efforts to protect jobs, advance notice of the change and the possibility Deighan could seek other work.