The Labour Court found Rachel Ahearne was unfairly dismissed by Acorn Brokerage Ltd T/A Acorn Insurance Brokers and ordered her to pay the company €4,000. The determination was dated 4 May 2023.
Ahearne’s data-enterer role was made redundant after the company ended its trade-stands operation during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Court accepted that a genuine redundancy existed, but found the employer acted unreasonably because it gave no advance warning that her role was at risk, did not consult her on alternatives and offered no appeal route.
The Court assessed her financial loss through Christmas 2022 at approximately €12,000. It found she contributed significantly to her loss during the first year after dismissal and reduced compensation for that period by 75%, setting the final amount at €4,000.