Thermo Fisher bonus complaint fails at WRC

The Workplace Relations Commission rejected Noel McCarthy’s complaint over a withheld annual incentive bonus, finding that he was not eligible for the payment after his employment ended before the payout date. The decision was dated 7 May 2024. McCarthy said he had worked the relevant bonus period and sought €8,971.42 before deductions. Thermo Fisher Scientific Cork Ltd said employees had to remain employed on the payout date, which was 20 March 2023. The adjudication officer found that active employment on that date was a contractual eligibility condition. The officer accepted McCarthy had difficulty obtaining the bonus plan details, but said access to those terms was not a matter decided under the Payment of Wages Act 1991.