Labour Court upholds WRC decision after refusing late appeal

The Labour Court upheld the WRC adjudication officer’s decision after refusing Mr Paul Scales an extension of the 42-day appeal deadline. The determination was dated 5 December 2022. The Court dealt only with whether exceptional circumstances justified extending the time limit, so the merits of the underlying complaints were not decided. Scales had appealed a decision that his complaints against former employer Euro Parks Ireland Limited, also identified as Euro Car Parks, were not well founded. He cited Christmas, Covid restrictions, a physical disability and not understanding the time limit as reasons for the delay. The employer argued those circumstances had not prevented a timely appeal. The Court found Scales had not shown that the pandemic prevented him from appealing within 42 days, noting that it continued after the deadline and that he appealed a few days later. It also said ignorance of the law was no excuse and that WRC information explained the deadline.