Labour Court rejects Hickey appeal over wrong respondent

The Labour Court rejected Paul Hickey’s appeal under the Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003 after finding that he had named the wrong respondent. The Court varied the adjudication officer’s decision; the source does not specify the terms of that original decision. The Court’s determination was signed on 15 November 2022. Hickey said he was penalised when he was not re-engaged in or around November 2019, while former colleagues were taken on again. Metropolitan Film Productions Limited said Hickey had never worked for it. The Court found that his contract showed he was employed by Badlands Three TV Productions DAC, and concluded that the incorrect respondent had been named. The appeal failed. Because the wrong respondent had been named, the Court did not decide whether the complaint was lodged within the statutory time limit; the merits were not decided.