The Workplace Relations Commission awarded Jennifer Duffy €10,325 after finding she was unfairly dismissed from her agency care assistant role at Brothers Of Charity Services Ireland. The decision, dated 5 April 2024, was made by Adjudication Officer Gaye Cunningham.
Duffy said her shifts were cancelled after a disagreement with full-time staff about the treatment of a service user. She was not given notice or a chance to put her side of the story. The organisation said it cancelled the shifts after a heated argument and initially believed it had no employer responsibilities because Duffy was an agency worker.
The organisation accepted it had breached the Unfair Dismissals Act, with only the earnings loss remaining in dispute. The adjudicator found Duffy had no opportunity to respond and that the dismissal was unfair. Because working relationships had broken down, reinstatement or re-engagement was not appropriate, so the WRC awarded compensation of €10,325.