The Workplace Relations Commission found that Valerie Murphy was not unfairly dismissed by The Salvation Army Ireland Company, which made her redundant after restructuring. The decision was dated 13 March 2024.
Murphy said consultation was a tick-box exercise and that an alternative role would reduce her gross earnings by about €8,000 a year because of a lower on-call allowance. She also said her grievance was handled with significant delay. The company said it had consulted extensively and offered suitable alternative roles, including one with salary protection.
The adjudication officer found that Murphy’s role had ceased to exist and that the dismissal arose from a genuine redundancy. Two suitable alternative roles were offered, and the employer had rebutted the presumption that the dismissal was unfair. The officer noted deficiencies in handling the grievance but found the employer’s response on alternative roles reasonable. The complaint was not well founded.