The Labour Court did not uphold a Tesco Ireland deputy store manager’s case challenging her demotion after an internal disciplinary process. Its recommendation was signed on 8 April 2019.
The worker denied the allegations, including that she altered payroll records, and raised concerns about the investigation and disciplinary process. Tesco Ireland said it had conducted a fair process and that demotion was a more lenient alternative to dismissal.
The Court found the penalty was reasonable in light of serious misconduct findings, which included a breach of Tesco’s Dignity at Work policy and failures in routine documentation procedures and/or falsification of documents. It said Tesco Ireland’s refusal to engage with the Workplace Relations Commission was unsatisfactory, but did not conduct its own investigation into the allegations.