WRC awards Adrian Heller €1,211.20 for unfair dismissal and €1,360 in notice pay

The Workplace Relations Commission awarded Adrian Heller €1,211.20 for unfair dismissal and €1,360 in statutory notice pay, after finding that Floortech Industries Ltd dismissed him unfairly. The decision was dated 4 April 2023. Heller had worked for Floortech for about four years. The company said it dismissed him for gross misconduct, citing aggressive and intimidating conduct and an incident of violence towards a supervisor. Heller disputed the allegations and said they were largely unsubstantiated and that the disciplinary process was flawed. The adjudication officer found the dismissal substantively fair, accepting that the company faced urgent safety concerns and that dismissal was within the range of reasonable responses. But the officer found the process unfair: Heller had not received written details of the allegations, notice that he could be dismissed or notice of his right to representation. The officer found Heller contributed substantially to his dismissal, putting his contribution at no less than 75%. The €1,211.20 unfair dismissal award took account of that contribution and his mitigation. He had estimated his economic losses at €4,844.80. The separate €1,360 notice award represents two weeks’ wages.