The Workplace Relations Commission awarded Patricia Griffin €12,500 compensation for unfair dismissal, after her employer conceded three complaints. The decision against Kings Salons Limited Hair At 74 was dated 31 May 2023. The WRC also awarded €1,104 for an employment information breach and €4,416 for failure to pay minimum notice.
Griffin had worked for the company for 26 years. She said she was dismissed after refusing to sign a new contract, then set up a hairdressing business at home. The company said her employment ended when she declined the alternative role it offered after reviewing its postal business. It accepted that it had acted on bad legal advice when it told her to sign the new contract or her employment would end.
The WRC considered the loss caused by the dismissal. Griffin had made some effort to reduce her loss by starting a business, but had not looked for salon work or sought a reference. The adjudicator found this limited her efforts to mitigate her loss. Mitigation means taking reasonable steps to reduce the financial impact of losing a job. The three complaints were upheld, and the notice award reflected eight weeks' entitlement.