WRC upholds Theresa Kelleher’s redundancy claim

The Workplace Relations Commission found Theresa Kelleher was made redundant by Handlebars B and B and ordered a lump-sum redundancy payment. The decision, dated 28 July 2023, based the payment on her employment dates and weekly wage of €90. Kelleher had worked at the B&B since 2005 and had been laid off during the pandemic. The employer said her job remained open and that the figures discussed at a meeting were only a draft proposal. Kelleher said she understood she was being made redundant and returned the business keys. The adjudicator preferred Kelleher’s account, finding that she accepted an offer of redundancy at the December 2021 meeting. The employer’s offer for her to return to work came more than four weeks after her employment ended, so it did not defeat her claim.