The Labour Court set aside an Adjudication Officer’s decision and found that Cribbin Family Butchers T/A The Butchers Block unfairly dismissed Pádraig Shortt, awarding him €4,000 in compensation. The Court signed its determination on 21 April 2021.
Shortt appealed after the Adjudication Officer found his dismissal was not unfair. The employer argued he lacked the 12 months’ continuous service needed to bring the claim and said his performance was unsatisfactory. The Court found he had sufficient service for the Act to apply.
The Court found the employer dismissed Shortt without following its written disciplinary procedure, giving him a chance to answer concerns or offering a right of appeal. It concluded the employer had not shown the dismissal was fair. The compensation took account of Shortt’s failure to make adequate efforts to limit his losses: he found part-time work two weeks after his dismissal but did not actively seek further work after that job ended.