Sligo County Council succeeds in five WRC complaints

The Workplace Relations Commission did not uphold any of five statutory complaints brought by Shane O'Hara against Sligo County Council. The decision, dated 10 September 2024, recorded no monetary award. O'Hara worked as a general operative for the Council on a fixed-purpose contract from August 2019 until the end of 2021. He challenged its ending when the permanent postholder returned, and alleged penalisation over fixed-term work and safety concerns, as well as failures concerning contract renewal, permanent-job notices and training. The Council said the contract ended as planned and denied breaking the law. The adjudication officer found O'Hara could not bring the unfair-dismissal complaint under the Act because his specified-purpose contract fell within an exclusion. The officer also found no compelling evidence of penalisation during the relevant period and declined to extend the time limit. The officer found no entitlement to a contract of indefinite duration and concluded the Council met its duties on vacancies and training.