The Workplace Relations Commission found that Irish School of Motoring unfairly dismissed long-serving Fleet Training Manager Brendan Phelan and ordered it to pay him €28,000 compensation. The decision was dated 10 October 2022.
Phelan had worked for the company since 2006 and was paid €720 a week. The company said the pandemic had reduced fleet training by 82%, leaving his role redundant. Phelan said there had been no discussion of alternative work or retraining when he was told of the redundancy.
The WRC found the company had not shown that the dismissal was fair. It said the May 2021 meeting presented redundancy as a fait accompli, without a process or discussion of alternatives. The decision also said Phelan’s transferable skills and track record could have been used in another role. The €28,000 award covers actual and prospective loss and is additional to the statutory redundancy lump sum he had already received.