The Labour Court overturned an adjudication officer’s decision and awarded Petru Fodor €2,000 after finding that Doyles Veg Prep Ltd unfairly dismissed him. The determination was signed on 9 June 2022.
Fodor appealed after the adjudication officer found that he had not been dismissed. He said he was pressured to sign a resignation letter in English that he did not understand, after being told he could not work a new 04:30 shift. The company said he had chosen to resign after refusing the earlier start.
The Court found that Fodor had not resigned voluntarily and that the company’s actions ended his employment. It also found he had not been given fair procedures before his job ended. That means he was not given a proper opportunity to understand and respond to the matter affecting his employment. The Court found the dismissal unfair and considered compensation appropriate.
In setting compensation, the Court noted limited evidence of Fodor’s efforts to find other work and that illness and family reasons had made him unavailable for work for much of the period.