WRC awards tattoo artist €800.80 over missing employment terms

The Workplace Relations Commission ordered tattoo artist Marek Wieczorek’s former employer, Maurice Martens t/a Metal Urges, to pay him €800.80 after finding that he had not been given written terms of employment. The decision was dated 24 July 2023. Wieczorek worked 14 hours a week over two days from July 2013 until November 2022, earning €14.30 an hour. He said changes to his working arrangements led to the end of his employment and sought statutory redundancy pay. Martens said work remained available and denied that Wieczorek had been made redundant. The WRC found that Wieczorek was not dismissed by reason of redundancy, so he was not entitled to a statutory redundancy payment. It upheld his separate complaint that he had not received a written statement of his employment terms and awarded four weeks’ remuneration. A duplicate redundancy complaint was withdrawn. Martens also acknowledged that holiday pay remained due and was willing to pay it; that money was not included in the award.