The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) awarded Gonzalo Santos Flores €2,426 for unfair dismissal and ordered his former employers, Michael & Gianni Alen-Buckley, to repay a €210 wage deduction. Adjudication Officer Gaye Cunningham issued the decision dated 5 July 2024.
Santos Flores said he was dismissed as redundant days after raising concerns about pay, overtime and workload. The employers said estate needs had changed, they selected him under a last-in, first-out approach and no suitable alternative role was available.
The WRC found the redundancy process unfair because he received no prior notice and no opportunity to respond or appeal. It also found the cottage-cleaning deduction was unlawful because he had not received advance written notice. Five other complaints, about wages, notice, working hours, rest periods and employment terms, were not well founded.