Labour Court rejects Thomas Maher’s appeal over 13 weeks’ unpaid suspension

The Labour Court rejected Thomas Maher’s appeal over 13 weeks of unpaid suspension imposed by Rosderra Irish Meats Group. In a determination dated 20 May 2019, the Court upheld the Adjudication Officer’s finding that the deduction was authorised by Maher’s employment terms. Maher argued that the Works Agreement allowed suspension only after a final warning or during an investigation, when it would be paid. Rosderra said it substituted unpaid suspension for dismissal as a lesser sanction on appeal. The Court found that the agreement formed part of Maher’s terms and that Rosderra had applied a lesser sanction under its disciplinary procedure.