Labour Court recommends Beaumont Hospital apologise after incorrect smoking accusation

In 1999, the Labour Court recommended that Beaumont Hospital apologise to a catering assistant after finding that an accusation she had smoked on hospital premises was incorrect. The worker said an incident with the canteen manager and subsequent events left her with no option but to leave before her fixed-term contract ended; the hospital said she walked out and her contract was not renewed. The Court accepted the hospital was entitled to decide whether to offer a new contract because the worker’s contract was for a fixed term of three months. It said the smoking accusation had become a major part of the dispute and suggested an apology.