The Labour Court overturned the Adjudication Officer’s decision and awarded childcare practitioner Ms Eman Chennit €2,000 after allowing her constructive dismissal appeal. The decision was signed on 10 January 2024.
Chennit resigned from Vevay Childcare Limited T/A Little People’s Academy after the employer failed to investigate a detailed grievance she had submitted more than six months earlier. She had raised concerns about a hostile and unsafe workplace and said the move to a toddler room would be too stressful during her pregnancy.
The Court found it reasonable for Chennit not to return after maternity leave because the employer had taken no steps to investigate her grievance. It set aside the original decision and directed the employer to pay €2,000 compensation, capped at four weeks’ pay in the circumstances.