WRC dismisses ASL Airlines pilot’s unfair dismissal claim on jurisdiction grounds

The Workplace Relations Commission dismissed Krzysztof Knapik’s unfair dismissal claim against Asl Airlines (Ireland) Limited after finding it lacked jurisdiction to hear it. The merits were not decided. In a decision dated 30 April 2024, adjudication officer Kara Turner found that Knapik’s designated home base was Katowice, Poland, where his duty periods began and ended. His flight records showed only one occasion in Ireland while employed directly by the airline, from January 2021. Knapik argued that Irish law applied because he paid tax in Ireland, flew Irish-registered aircraft and had Irish pay arrangements. The airline argued that he habitually worked in Poland. The officer found that the Irish aircraft registration, aviation licence and tax payments did not establish where he habitually worked.