The Workplace Relations Commission recommended €10,000 compensation for a worker after an internal appeal over a public service promotion competition took an unacceptable length of time. Adjudication Officer Marie Flynn dated the recommendation 15 June 2022.
The worker said the competition unfairly disregarded his results in its first four stages and that his appeal took more than two years to investigate. The five-stage process ended with a competency-based interview. The employer accepted there had been significant delays but argued the outcome would have been the same and said it could not offer promotion or financial compensation.
The WRC did not substitute its view for the promotion panel’s assessment. It found that investigating the appeal took an unacceptable length of time and caused the worker unnecessary stress. An internal reviewer had found he ranked highest after stage four but seventh after the final interview.
The WRC recommended €10,000 compensation for the delay. It also recommended that the employer tell the worker within six weeks whether a secondment to the specialist unit was possible, and make competency interview training available to him.