The Workplace Relations Commission awarded a construction worker €20,000 for unfair dismissal in a decision dated 17 June 2024. The officer also awarded compensation for unpaid leave, notice, missing employment terms and lack of access to a construction workers’ pension scheme.
The worker said he was told by text on 19 August 2022 that there was no more work. The employer’s representative said the owner’s serious health problems had affected the business and meant it could not keep him on.
The adjudication officer found the dismissal unfair because there had been no prior warning or consultation about alternatives. The worker estimated his lost wages at €40,000, but the officer reduced the award by 50% because he had applied for 15 jobs over 14 months and had not taken sufficient steps to limit his loss. The decision awarded €4,380 for leave, €730 for notice, €1,460 for each of two missing-terms complaints and €4,380 for the pension-scheme breach. Overlapping leave and notice complaints received one award each.