Labour Court recommends £7,000 for Virgin Express worker’s demotion

The Labour Court recommended that Virgin Express (Ireland) Limited pay a Line Training Captain £7,000 for an unfair demotion and £5,000 for unfair disciplinary action. It also recommended removing the disciplinary reference from his personnel file and calculating redundancy pay at his Line Training Captain salary rate. The recommendation was signed on 13 November 2001. The worker challenged a demotion, disciplinary action following an incident at a Brussels hotel, and his redundancy payment. The company did not attend the hearing or provide a written submission. The Court found the demotion was unfair, saying it appeared to follow a separate dispute about accommodation costs. It also criticised the disciplinary process: the company adjourned a hearing to produce video and witness evidence, then imposed discipline without reconvening it. The Court recommended an additional 3½ weeks’ pay per year of service for redundancy, exclusive of statutory payment.