WRC awards Martin Gerard Murphy €500 for unfair dismissal

The Workplace Relations Commission awarded Martin Gerard Murphy €500 after finding that Tomas Harrington t/a Burger Hut unfairly dismissed him. In a decision dated 9 April 2024, the adjudication officer found the employer gave no written reason for dismissal and followed no disciplinary process. The parties gave conflicting accounts of the altercation that preceded Murphy’s dismissal. The officer found that Murphy brought some aggression to the situation but that instant dismissal was unwarranted. Reinstatement or re-engagement was unsuitable because the employment relationship had irretrievably broken down. In assessing compensation, the officer took account of Murphy’s contribution to the situation and his failure to mitigate his loss. His separate complaint alleging constructive dismissal was not well founded.