The Workplace Relations Commission upheld a store manager’s unfair dismissal complaint and ordered her former employer, a retail company, to pay €29,750 compensation. It also ordered €3,294.60 for failure to pay statutory notice. The decision was dated 17 August 2023.
Adjudication Officer Emer O'Shea found that the company had not given the worker the original grievance despite repeated requests, leaving her without a fair opportunity to prepare her defence. The WRC also found that the disciplinary process involved inadequate details of the allegations, a lengthy delay and a new store security allegation used to justify dismissal without prior notice. It found the dismissal procedurally and substantively unfair.
The company argued that it had followed fair procedures and that dismissal for alleged gross misconduct was justified. The worker said she could not properly answer allegations without the grievance and other details. The WRC treated her Industrial Relations Act matter as part of the unfair dismissal complaint and made no recommendation on it.