ADJUDICATION OFFICER Recommendation on dispute under Industrial Relations Act 1969
Investigation Recommendation Reference: IR - SC - 00004263
Parties:
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| Worker | Employer |
Anonymised Parties | An Employee | An Employer |
Representatives |
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Dispute(s):
Act | Dispute Reference No. | Date of Receipt |
Section 13 of the Industrial Relations Act 1969 | IR - SC - 00004263 | 08/05/2025 |
Workplace Relations Commission Adjudication Officer: David James Murphy
Date of Hearing: 16/02/2026
Procedure:
In accordance with Section 13 of the Industrial Relations Act 1969 (as amended) following the referral of the dispute(s) to me by the Director General, I inquired into the dispute(s) and gave the parties an opportunity to be heard by me and to present to me any information relevant to the dispute(s).
Background:
The Worker was employed for approximately a month before being terminated. She was not given any reason. |
Summary of Workers Case:
She was fired without any reason being given. There was no contract or probation process. She was not notified in advance or that she was at risk for redundancy. It took her until August to find a new job. She began looking for another job immediately. She applied online and printed her cv and was walking to all of the coffee shops. Looking for any job. She was paid at the minimum wage and worked on average 34 hours per week. |
Summary of Employer’s Case:
The Employer has gone into liquidation and the liquidator did not attend the hearing. The Worker did not know when the company ceased to function, she only found out through the WRC. She could see that the shop continued to trade after she was dismissed. |
Conclusions:
In conducting my investigation, I have taken into account all relevant submissions presented to me by the parties.
The Worker was not given any reason for her dismissal. The Employer had no probation clause or policy which provided for summary dismissal. If there was an issue with the Worker’s performance she should have been given an opportunity to address this. If there was some other reason the Worker should have been put on notice of this and given an opportunity to respond. In the circumstances I recommend that the Employer pay compensation to the Worker of €1500 in respect of the unfair and inappropriate manner in which they terminated her employment. |
Recommendation:
Section 13 of the Industrial Relations Act 1969 requires that I make a recommendation in relation to the dispute.
I recommend that the Employer pay compensation to the Worker of €1500.
Dated: 02-03-26
Workplace Relations Commission Adjudication Officer: David James Murphy
Key Words:
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