Ballymun Regional Youth Resource won its appeal against a redundancy payment entitlement for former youth outreach worker Catherine Duncan. The Labour Court set aside the adjudication officer’s decision in a ruling dated 9 May 2024.
Duncan worked for the organisation from 2003 until resigning in December 2021, after accepting a job with Star. She argued that the employer’s handling of plans for the outreach team entitled her to end her contract and claim redundancy pay. The employer said her resignation did not qualify as redundancy.
The Court said the organisation had acted unreasonably towards the team, but found no serious contractual breach that entitled Duncan to treat her contract as terminated by the employer. She had not received notice of dismissal and had freely accepted alternative employment before resigning. The Court concluded that the facts did not support a redundancy claim.