Fiona Rabbitte won her redundancy complaint against Lloyds Pharmacy Ireland Limited after the Workplace Relations Commission found she was entitled to a statutory redundancy payment. The decision, dated 5 May 2023, said her refusal to move from the closing Newbridge pharmacy to a role in Naas was reasonable.
Rabbitte had worked as a supervising pharmacist in Newbridge for almost 20 years. She said the proposed transfer was not a reasonable alternative to redundancy, while the company argued the Naas role had essentially the same terms and that she was not entitled to redundancy after refusing it.
The adjudication officer considered the longer commute, congestion, Rabbitte’s domestic circumstances and the contract’s requirement for her consent to relocation. The WRC found a redundancy situation had been established and that she acted reasonably in declining the transfer.
Rabbitte’s payment is to be calculated using a gross weekly wage of €1,853.19 and is conditional on her having the required insurable employment.