Labour Court upholds Aer Lingus dismissal decision in Virginia Linehan appeal

The Labour Court upheld a finding that Virginia Linehan was not unfairly dismissed by Aer Lingus Limited. The appeal failed, and the Court found the dismissal fell within the range of reasonable responses available to the airline. The Court heard the appeal and its signature block gives 30 April 2024. Linehan had challenged an adjudication officer’s decision that her complaint under the Unfair Dismissals Acts was not well founded. Aer Lingus said it dismissed Linehan for gross misconduct after an incident involving abusive conduct toward colleagues, and said it had followed a fair disciplinary process. Linehan said her dismissal was unfair and linked it to an earlier grievance. She accepted that her behaviour during the incident was unacceptable and said she regretted it. The Court noted that no flaws in the process had been argued. It said the dismissal was within the band of reasonable responses, considering Linehan’s public-facing role.