WRC dismisses Limerick Leader photographer's claim over dismissal

The Workplace Relations Commission dismissed photographer Michael Cowhey's unfair dismissal claim against Formpress Publishing Limited for lack of jurisdiction. The decision, dated 21 August 2023, said he had not established a dismissal within the statutory time limits; the merits were not decided. Cowhey said he was temporarily laid off in March 2020 and dismissed on 1 March 2022 when the newspaper did not return him to work or clarify his employment status. The publisher said it had terminated his freelance contract in March 2020. Cowhey withdrew his appeal under the Redundancy Payments Act at the start of the hearing, and the WRC disallowed it. He had also said his annual pay fell from €40,000 to €35,000 while he continued working full-time.