The Workplace Relations Commission awarded Graziano D'amato €42,000 after finding that Tripadmit Ltd unfairly dismissed him. The WRC decision was dated 10 October 2024.
D'amato worked as a sales and account executive for the travel technology start-up. He said he had not been warned or given a fair process, while the company said he had missed its target of bringing in 10 new clients a month and that his clients tended not to generate revenue.
The adjudication officer found the company had not clearly established whether the reason for dismissal was redundancy or performance, and had followed neither a redundancy nor a performance process. There was no written evidence that performance concerns had been raised in a way that could lead to dismissal.
D'amato was still unemployed at the hearing and provided evidence of 37 job applications. The officer found he had taken steps to limit his losses and that Tripadmit had contributed to them by refusing, without justification, to provide a written reference. The officer also considered that business pressures outside the company's control contributed to the dismissal when setting the award.