The Workplace Relations Commission awarded shop assistant Agnieszka Siudalska €8,775 after finding her dismissal by Top Green Mile Stores Limited unfair. The decision was dated 4 April 2024.
Siudalska said childcare difficulties during Covid school closures led her to stop attending work and apply for Pandemic Unemployment Payment. The employer said her unauthorised absence disrupted the shop and amounted to serious misconduct.
The adjudicator found dismissal disproportionate after four days’ absence. The employer had not taken specific advice about her eligibility for the payment or considered alternatives to dismissal. The WRC also awarded her €1,404 for four weeks’ notice under her contract.