WRC awards Aideen Dunbar €1,536 each for unfair dismissal and missing employment terms

The Workplace Relations Commission found that Wheelock Fruits Limited unfairly dismissed Aideen Dunbar and awarded her €1,536. It also found the company failed to provide her with a written statement of employment terms and awarded a separate €1,536. The decision is dated 6 April 2023. Dunbar worked as a pastry chef for 32 hours a week at €12 an hour. She said she was dismissed on 29 December 2021 after a manager offered her four weeks’ pay to leave immediately, and that she felt she had no other option. The company said she had chosen to leave and could have stayed if she refused the offer. The adjudicator found the offer unreasonable and that Dunbar was effectively forced to leave without due process or fair procedure. She quickly found another job and had no financial loss, so the WRC awarded four weeks’ pay for the unfair dismissal. The adjudicator also preferred her evidence that she had not received written employment terms; the company had no supporting evidence that it had issued them. The second award was four weeks’ remuneration. Each award was €1,536.