The WRC recommended reinstating a worker to his former greenskeeper role at a municipal golf course and paying him €3,000 compensation. The recommendation, dated 28 October 2025, followed a finding that the transfer was unfair and unreasonable.
The worker had spent about 30 years with the local authority, mostly as a greenskeeper. After complaints about him, he was called to a meeting that appeared disciplinary and then transferred to a city depot. He said the move was imposed without consultation, harmed his professional standing and reduced his regular overtime opportunities. The authority said his pay and grade were preserved and described the move as an operational redeployment.
The adjudication officer said the authority produced no record of an investigation, disciplinary process or consultation before the move. The officer found it arose from unsubstantiated allegations without fair procedures or natural justice, and was not a legitimate exercise of management discretion. The officer accepted that the worker had suffered no loss of earnings but found he had been treated unfairly and unreasonably.
The officer noted that another person was acting in the former role and the authority gave no cogent reason the worker could not return. The recommendation was to reinstate him as greenskeeper and pay €3,000 for the flawed redeployment and delay in engaging meaningfully with his grievance.