Labour Court upholds decision in Keith Troy’s unfair-dismissal appeal

The Labour Court upheld the decision against Keith Troy in his unfair-dismissal appeal, finding he had not established that his dismissal arose wholly or mainly from trade union membership or activities. In its determination dated 17 November 2023, the Court considered Troy’s appeal against Doyle Shipping Group (Dsg). Both sides accepted he lacked the 12 months’ service ordinarily required for protection under the Unfair Dismissals Acts, so he relied on an exception for trade union activity. Troy said he had distributed union membership forms. The company denied knowing about his union activity and said it ended his probation because he was not a good fit. The Court found his evidence that he first contacted the IWU in March contradicted a letter describing him as an IWU official from January to April. It also noted his dismissal grievance had attributed his dismissal to another factor. The appeal failed, and the Adjudication Officer’s decision was upheld.