Labour Court rejects Pauline Jones’s redundancy payment appeal

The Labour Court disallowed Pauline Jones’s appeal against the dismissal of her redundancy payment claim against Fitzers Catering Limited. The Court found reasonable cause for missing the initial 52-week deadline but no justifiable basis to extend time further; the merits were not decided. The determination was signed on 28 February 2017. Jones said she believed her work had transferred to Aramark Catering after Fitzers lost its Croke Park contract. The Court considered that belief reasonable given the messages and meeting arrangements, including the lack of clear notice that choosing Aramark meant resignation. She sent Fitzers an RP77 on 23 March 2015 and referred her claim to the WRC on 26 November 2015, after the 52-week period. The Court affirmed the Adjudication Officer’s dismissal.