ADJUDICATION OFFICER DECISION/RECOMMENDATION
Adjudication Reference: ADJ-00023970
Parties:
| Complainant | Respondent |
Anonymised Parties | Bar worker | Publican |
Complaints:
Act | Complaint/Dispute Reference No. | Date of Receipt |
Complaint seeking adjudication by the Workplace Relations Commission under section 24 of the National Minimum Wage Act, 2000 | CA-00030720-001 | 21/08/2019 |
Complaint seeking adjudication by the Workplace Relations Commission under section 27 of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997 | CA-00030720-002 | 21/08/2019 |
Complaint seeking adjudication by the Workplace Relations Commission under section 6 of the Payment of Wages Act, 1991 | CA-00030720-003 | 21/08/2019 |
Complaint seeking adjudication by the Workplace Relations Commission under section 27 of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997 | CA-00030720-004 | 21/08/2019 |
Complaint seeking adjudication by the Workplace Relations Commission under section 27 of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997 | CA-00030720-005 | 21/08/2019 |
Complaint seeking adjudication by the Workplace Relations Commission under section 6 of the Payment of Wages Act, 1991 | CA-00030720-006 | 21/08/2019 |
Complaint seeking adjudication by the Workplace Relations Commission under section 27 of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997 | CA-00030720-007 | 21/08/2019 |
Complaint seeking adjudication by the Workplace Relations Commission under section 27 of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997 | CA-00030720-008 | 21/08/2019 |
Complaint seeking adjudication by the Workplace Relations Commission under section 27 of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997 | CA-00030720-009 | 21/08/2019 |
Complaint seeking adjudication by the Workplace Relations Commission under section 27 of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997 | CA-00030720-010 | 21/08/2019 |
Complaint seeking adjudication by the Workplace Relations Commission under section 7 of the Terms of Employment (Information) Act, 1994 | CA-00030720-011 | 21/08/2019 |
Complaint seeking adjudication by the Workplace Relations Commission under section 7 of the Terms of Employment (Information) Act, 1994 | CA-00030720-012 | 21/08/2019 |
Complaint seeking adjudication by the Workplace Relations Commission under the Industrial Relations Acts | CA-00030720-013 | 21/08/2019 |
Complaint seeking adjudication by the Workplace Relations Commission under Section 39 of the Redundancy Payments Act, 1967 | CA-00030720-014 | 21/08/2019 |
Complaint seeking adjudication by the Workplace Relations Commission under Section 39 of the Redundancy Payments Act, 1967 | CA-00030720-015 | 21/08/2019 |
Date of Adjudication Hearing: 09/03/2020
Workplace Relations Commission Adjudication Officer: Marie Flynn
Procedure:
In accordance with Section 41 of the Workplace Relations Act, 2015 and Section 8 of the Unfair Dismissals Acts, 1977 – 2015 and Section 13 of the Industrial Relations Acts, 1969 following the referral of the complaints/disputes to me by the Director General, I inquired into the complaints/disputes and gave the parties an opportunity to be heard by me and to present to me any evidence relevant to the complaints/disputes.
Under the Employment Rights Acts the parties are designated the titles of Complainant and Respondent, the referral is known as a Complaint and the Adjudication Officer issues a Decision. However, under the IR Acts the parties are designated the titles of Worker and Employer, the referral is known as a Dispute and the Adjudication Officer issues a Recommendation.
The Complainant submitted an identical complaint against a different respondent which was withdrawn on 9th March 2020. It was not possible for me to issue a decision in this case, until such time as the Complainant had elected which complaint he wished to pursue.
Background:
The Complainant was employed as a Bar Worker by the Respondent from 28th August 2018 until 19th April 2019. The Complainant’s agreed rate of pay was €10 per hour. The following complaints were withdrawn at the hearing: CA-00030720-014 and CA-00030720-015. |
Preliminary Issue: Time Limits
Summary of Complainant’s Case:
The Complainant submits as follows: The Complainant’s complaint referral form was received by the WRC on 21st August 2019. In accordance with Section 41 (6) of the Workplace Relations Act 2018, the cognisable period for the herein complaint is six months from the date of the referral of the complaint which gives a cognisable period from 22nd February 2018 until 21st August 2019. The Complainant is seeking to extend the cognisable period to twelve months from 22nd August 2018 until 21st August 2019 on the grounds that he was vulnerable, there was a failure by the Respondent to provide the required documentation, there was a reasonable apprehension of retaliation should he have sought to enforce his rights given the existence of claims against the Respondent by other employees. In addition, he had no knowledge of the tax treatment of his wages and this only became apparent from an affidavit sworn in High Court proceedings which commenced after his employment with the Respondent had terminated. Furthermore, the behaviour of the Respondent in insisting that the Complainant visit him in his bedroom to receive payment in cash and without payslips militated against the Complainant querying issues with his payments. The Complainant relies on the following precedents to support his case: Cementation Skanska v Carroll, DWT 38/2003 and Séamus (James) O’Dwyer v Sword Risk Services Limited DWT1410. |
Summary of Respondent’s Case:
The Respondent did not attend the adjudication hearing. I am satisfied that the Respondent was properly on notice of the time, date and location of the adjudication hearing. |
Findings and Conclusions:
The first matter I must decide is if reasonable cause has been shown to empower me to extend the cognisable period for this complaint as requested by the Complainant. In making my decision, I must take account of both the relevant legislation and the legal precedent in this area. The Complainant has submitted that he did not submit a complaint to the WRC until after his employment had terminated due to a number of reasons including, inter alia, hisvulnerability, the failure of the Respondent to provide relevant documentation, the fear of retaliation, his lack of knowledge of the tax treatment of his wages and the behaviour of the Respondent. Section 41(8) of the Workplace Relations Act 2015 provides that if a complaint is not submitted within six months of the alleged contravention, an extension may be granted by an Adjudication Officer up to a maximum time limit of 12 months where, in the opinion of the Adjudication Officer, the Complainant has demonstrated reasonable cause for the delay in accordance with the provisions: “An adjudication officer may entertain a complaint or dispute to which this section applies presented or referred to the Director General after the expiration of the period referred to in subsection (6) or (7) (but not later than 6 months after such expiration), as the case may be, if he or he is satisfied that the failure to present the complaint or refer the dispute within that period was due to reasonable cause.” The Labour Court has set out the test inCementation Skanska v Carroll, DWT 38/2003 as follows; “It is the Court's view that in considering if reasonable cause exists, it is for the claimant to show that there are reasons which both explain the delay and afford an excuse for the delay. The explanation must be reasonable, that is to say it must make sense, be agreeable to reason and not be irrational or absurd. In the context in which the expression reasonable cause appears in the statute it suggests an objective standard, but it must be applied to the facts and circumstances known to the claimant at the material time. The claimant’s failure to present the claim within the six-month time limit must have been due to the reasonable cause relied upon. Hence there must be a causal link between the circumstances cited and the delay and the claimant should satisfy the Court, as a matter of probability, that had those circumstances not been present he would have initiated the claim in time.” Therefore, in order to achieve an extension to the time limit the Complainant must be able to show that there are reasons which both explain the delay and afford an excuse for the delay. In this regard, I note the Labour Court Determination in Clint Maguire v P J Personnel Ltd AWD201 where the Labour Court held that: “The test formulated inCementationSkanska (Formerly Kvaerner Cementation) v Carrolldraws heavily on the decision of the High Court inDonal O’Donnell and Catherine O’Donnell v Dun Laoghaire Corporation[1991] ILRM 30. Here Costello J. (as he then was) stated as follows: ‘The phrase ‘good reasons’ is one of wide import which it would be futile to attempt to define precisely. However, in considering whether or not there are good reasons for extending the time I think it is clear that the test must be an objective one and the court should not extend the time merely because an aggrieved plaintiff believed that he or he was justified in delaying the institution of proceedings. What the plaintiff has to show (and I think the onus under O. 84 r. 21 is on the plaintiff) is that there are reasons which both explain the delay and afford a justifiable excuse for the delay.’ It clear from the authorities that the test places the onus on the applicant for an extension of time to identify the reason for the delay and to establish that the reason relied upon provides a justifiable excuse for the actual delay. Secondly, the onus is on the applicant to establish a causal connection between the reason proffered for the delay and his or his failure to present the complaint in time. Thirdly, the Court must be satisfied, as a matter of probability, that the complaint would have been presented the complaint in time were it not for the intervention of the factors relied upon as constituting reasonable cause. It is the actual delay that must be explained and justified. Hence, if the factors relied upon to explain the delay ceased to operate before the complaint was presented, that may undermine a claim that those factors were the actual cause of the delay. Finally, while the established test imposes a relatively low threshold of reasonableness on an applicant, there is some limitation on the range of issues which can be taken into account. In particular, as was pointed out by Costello J in the passage quoted above, a Court should not extend a statutory time limit merely because the applicant subjectively believed that he or he was justified in delaying the institution of proceedings.” The Complainant attributed the delay in submitting a complaint to the WRC to a number of factors including a fear of reprisal. However, even though the Complainant submitted that he was afraid that he might be penalised by the Respondent if he submitted a complaint to the WRC, no indication as to the basis of this assertion was provided. The Complainant also attributed the delay to the Respondent’s failure to provide relevant documentation and the tax treatment of his wages. However, he did not show that there was any causal connection between these factors and his delay in submitting a complaint to the WRC. Accordingly, I find that no reasonable cause was shown to empower me to extend the cognisable period in relation to the herein case and, therefore, I find that the cognisable period is the six month period from 22nd February 2019 until 21st August 2019. However, as the Complainant’s employment with the Respondent ended on 19th April 2019, the appropriate cognisable period for the herein complaint is the period from 22nd February 2019 until 19th April 2019. I find, therefore, that I do not have the jurisdiction to investigate the complaints which fall outside the cognisable period. |
Substantive Issues
Summary of Complainant’s Case:
CA-00030720-001 Minimum Wage The Complainant submits that he was paid a fixed sum per shift irrespective of hours worked. The Complainant submits that he worked five 7 hour shifts (7.30pm until 2.30am) per week and that he received €50 per shift. The Complainant also submits that he worked 3 Sundays per month during the cognisable period and that he was paid €45 on a Sunday for 7 hours. On 3rd May 2019, the Complainant’s solicitor wrote to the Respondent seeking a statement of the Complainant’s hourly rate of pay and hours worked for the term of his employment in accordance with the Respondent’s statutory obligations.
CA-00030720-002 Compensation for Working on Sunday The Complainant submits that he worked 3 Sundays per month during the cognisable period but did not receive compensation for working on Sundays. The Complainant submits that he usually worked 7 hours on a Sunday.
CA-00030720-003 Payment of Wages The Complainant submits that he was not paid in full for all hours worked. The Complainant submits that he was not paid for his last week of work. The Complainant submits that he worked for 10 hours on St Patrick’s Day 2019 from 10.30am until 8.30pm but he was only paid €90 whereas he should have been paid €100.
CA-00030720-004 Annual Leave entitlement The Complainant submits that he did not receive any paid annual leave during his employment with the Respondent. The Complainant submits that he usually worked five night shifts from 7.30 pm until 2.30am per week and three Sundays per month during the cognisable period. He also worked an extra 3 hours on St Patrick’s Day 2019.
CA-00030720-005 Public Holiday entitlements The Complainant submits that he did not receive his public holiday entitlements. The Complainant submits that he worked on St Patrick’s Day 2019 but that he was not compensated for doing so.
CA-00030720-006 Payment in lieu of notice The Complainant submits that he did not receive any notice of the termination of his employment with the Respondent and that he did not receive the appropriate payment in lieu of notice.
CA-00030720-007 Daily rest period The Complainant submits that he did not receive all of the daily rest periods to which he was entitled during Rag Week in February 2019.
CA-00030720-008 Breaks The Complainant submits that he did not get breaks when he worked his regular shifts.
CA-00030720-009 Annual Leave entitlement The Complainant submits that he did not receive any paid annual leave during his employment with the Respondent.
CA-00030720-010 Public Holiday entitlements The Complainant submits that he did not receive his public holiday entitlements during the cognisable period.
CA-00030720-011 Terms and Conditions of Employment – Written Statement The Complainant submits that he did not receive a statement in writing of his terms and conditions.
CA-00030720-012 Terms and conditions of Employment – Notification of Changes The Complainant stated that the Respondent unilaterally changed his terms and conditions of employment in or about February 2019 without any notice in writing or otherwise when his earnings were unilaterally reduced by the Respondent following the introduction of a new payroll system.
CA-00030720-013 Unfair Dismissal The Worker submits that he was unfairly dismissed by the Employer when his employment was terminated on 19th April 2019 without any consultation or notice. The Worker submits that he found out that he was dismissed by word of mouth. The Worker submitted that, prior to the termination of his employment, the Employer had not given him any indication that there was an issue with his performance. |
Summary of Respondent’s Case:
The Respondent did not attend the adjudication hearing. I am satisfied that the Respondent was properly on notice of the time, date and location of the adjudication hearing. |
Findings and Conclusions:
CA-00030720-001 Minimum Wage The complaint under the Minimum Wage Act, 2000 can only relate to a reference period or reference periods, for the purposes of that Act, in respect of which the Complainant requested a statement or statements pursuant to section 23 of the Act. I am satisfied that the Complainant’s solicitor sought a statement from the Respondent pursuant to section 23 of the Act and that no such statement was received from the Respondent within the four week time limit provided for under the Act. The cognisable period for this complaint is 22nd February 20199 until 19th April 2019. On 1st January 2019, the National Minimum Wage was increased to €9.80 per hour. In light of the non-participation of the Respondent in the adjudication hearing, and the consequent absence of attendance records, it is not possible for me to ascertain the exact hours worked by the Complainant during the cognisable period. I am of the view that the Complainant was a credible witness and I accept his submission that he worked five 7 hour shifts per week for which he received €50 per shift which gives an hourly rate of €7.14. In the absence of any records, it is not possible for me to establish if the payment per shift was gross or net. The Complainant was not fully aware of his tax treatment by the Respondent as he did not receive any payslips or any other relevant documentation for the duration of his employment with the Respondent. For the purposes of my calculations, I am treating the €50 payment per shift as a gross amount. Any tax liabilities arising are to be addressed by the parties. I find that the Complainant worked for 8 weeks in 2019 during the cognisable period which gives a total of 40 seven hour shifts or 280 hours @ 7.14 per hour. In line with the national minimum wage rate in effect at the time, the Complainant was underpaid by €2.66 per hour or €744.80 (€2.66 * 280 hours) for the 8 weeks in 2019. The Complainant also worked 6 seven hour Sunday shifts in 2019 for €45 per shift which he was underpaid by €3.38 per hour or €141.96 (€3.38 * 42 hours).
CA-00030720-002 Compensation for Working on Sunday Section 14(1) of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997 provides that: “An employee who is required to work on a Sunday (and the fact of his or his having to work on that day has not otherwise been taken account of in the determination of his or his pay) shall be compensated by his or his employer for being required so to work by the following means, namely— ( a) by the payment to the employee of an allowance of such an amount as is reasonable having regard to all the circumstances …” Section 25(1) of the Act requires employers to keep records to show compliance with Section 12 as follows: “An employer shall keep, at the premises or place where his or his employee works or, if the employee works at two or more premises or places, the premises or place from which the activities that the employee is employed to carry on are principally directed or controlled, such records, in such form, if any, as may be prescribed, as will show whether the provisions of this Act and, where applicable, the Activities of Doctors in Training Regulations are being complied with in relation to the employee and those records shall be retained by the employer for at least 3 years from the date of their making.”
The Complainant asserted that he worked 3 Sundays per month or 6 Sundays during the cognisable period. As the Respondent did not attend the adjudication hearing, no records were presented to me to contradict the Complainant’s assertion. I am of the view that the Complainant was a credible witness and I accept his submission. The Complainant worked 7 hours on a Sunday which gives a total of 42 hours @ an agreed rate of €10 per hour. I find it fair and reasonable that the Complainant should have received a premium of time plus one third for working on Sundays. Based on 42 hours @ €10 per hour the Sunday premium would be €140 ((42 * €10)/3).
CA-00030720-003 Payment of Wages Section 5(1) of the Payment of Wages Act prohibits an employer from making a deduction from the wages of an employee unless certain conditions are fulfilled. Section 5(6) provides that the non-payment of wages which are properly payable to an employee by an employer shall be treated as a deduction unless it was due to a computational error. I have included the relevant sections of the Act below. Section 5 (1) of the Payment of Wages Act, 1991 provides that – “An employer shall not make a deduction from the wages of an employee (or receive any payment from an employee) unless— (a) the deduction (or payment) is required or authorised to be made by virtue of any statute or any instrument made under statute, (b) the deduction (or payment) is required or authorised to be made by virtue of a term of the employee's contract of employment included in the contract before, and in force at the time of, the deduction or payment, or (c) in the case of a deduction, the employee has given his prior consent in writing to it.” Section 5(6) of the Act provides that where – “(a) the total amount of any wages that are paid on any occasion by an employer to an employee is less than the total amount of wages that is properly payable by him to the employee on that occasion (after making any deductions therefrom that fall to be made and are in accordance with this Act), or (b) none of the wages that are properly payable to an employee by an employer on any occasion (after making any such deductions as aforesaid) are paid to the employee, then, except in so far as the deficiency or non-payment is attributable to an error of computation, the amount of the deficiency or non-payment shall be treated as a deduction made by the employerfrom the wages of the employee on the occasion.”
The Complainant has submitted a number of complaints under this heading. The first element of his complaint relates to not being paid in full for his normal hours. The subject matter of this complaint has been addressed under CA-00030720-001 above. Accordingly, I find that this element of the complaint is a duplicate of CA-00030720-001 above and, therefore, is not well founded. The second element of his complaint is that he was not paid for his last week of work. Based on the uncontested evidence of the Complainant, I find that this complaint is well founded. The Complainant normally worked five 7 hour shifts per week and he should have been paid €10 per hour giving a total weekly payment of €350. The third element of his complaint is that he was only paid €90 for a 10 hour shift on St Patrick’s Day 2019. At an hourly rate of €10 he should have been paid €100 giving a non-payment of €10.
CA-00030720-004 Annual Leave entitlement Section 19 of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997 stipulates that: (1) Subject to the First Schedule(which contains transitional provisions in respect of the leave years 1996 to 1998), an employee shall be entitled to paid annual leave (in this Act referred to as “annual leave”) equal to— a) 4 working weeks in a leave year in which he or he works at least 1,365 hours (unless it is a leave year in which he or he changes employment), b) one-third of a working week for each month in the leave year in which he or he works at least 117 hours, or c) 8 per cent. of the hours he or he works in a leave year (but subject to a maximum of 4 working weeks): Provided that if more than one of the preceding paragraphs is applicable in the case concerned and the period of annual leave of the employee, determined in accordance with each of those paragraphs, is not identical, the annual leave to which the employee shall be entitled shall be equal to whichever of those periods is the greater. As the Respondent did not attend the adjudication hearing, no records were presented to me to contradict the Complainant’s assertion. I am of the view that the Complainant was a credible witness and I accept his submission. I find that the Complainant worked a total of 8 weeks during the cognisable period. He worked five 7 hour shifts per week (35 hours per week) which gives a total of 280 hours (8 * 35). The Complainant also worked 6 Sundays per month during the cognisable period. The Complainant worked 7 hours on a Sunday which gives a total of 42 hours. The Complainant also worked an extra 3 hours on St Patrick’s Day 2019. I find, therefore, that the Complainant worked a total of 325 hours during the cognisable period and that 8% of the hours worked by the Complainant gives a holiday entitlement of 26 hours.
CA-00030720-005 Public Holiday entitlements The Complainant submits that he worked on one public holidays during the cognisable period – St Patrick’s Day. The Complainant stated that he did not receive Public Holiday entitlements in line with the provisions of the legislation. Section 25 of the Organisation of Working Time Act requires an employer to keep a record of the working time of its employees. As the Respondent did not attend the adjudication hearing, it was not possible to access the relevant information. I am of the view that the Complainant was a credible witness and I accept his submission. In the absence of working time records from the Respondent, I find that the Complainant did not receive the appropriate public holiday entitlement for working on one public holidays during the cognisable period. Section 21 of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997 provides that if a part-time employee has worked for their employer for at least 40 hours in the 5 weeks ending on the day before the public holiday and the employee is required to work that day, they are entitled to an additional day's pay for the public holiday. Where the rate of pay varies in relation to the work done, reg 5(1) of the Organisation of Working Time (Determination of Pay For Holidays) Regulations, 1997 provides that pay for a public holiday is equivalent to the average daily earnings for normal working hours calculated by reference to the earnings over the 13 week period ending on the day before the public holiday. In the absence of working time records, I find, based on the Complainant’s uncontested submission, that in any 13 week period during his employment with the Respondent, the Complainant worked 65 seven hour shifts (5 seven hour shifts per week) giving a total hours worked of 455. The Complainant also worked 9 Sundays in a 13 week period. The Complainant worked 7 hours on a Sunday which gives a total of 63 hours. To calculate the average number of hours worked per day in a 13 week period I have divided the total number of hours worked - 518 (455 plus 63) by the total number of days worked – 74 (65 plus 9) which gives an average day of 7 hours. At an hourly rate of €10 this gives average daily earnings of €70 per day. There were no other public holidays during the cognisable period.
CA-00030720-006 Payment in lieu of notice Based on the uncontested evidence of the Complainant, I find that this complainant is well founded. In accordance with section 4(2)(a) of the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act, 1973, I find that the Complainant is entitled to one week’s notice pay.
CA-00030720-007 Daily rest period Section 11 of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 provides that: “An employee shall be entitled to a rest period of not less than 11 consecutive hours in each period of 24 hours during which he or he works for his or his employer”. As Rag Week 2019 occurred outside the cognisable period for this complaint, I find that the complaint is not well founded.
CA-00030720-008 Breaks Section 12 of the Organisation of Working Time Act places a statutory obligation on employers to ensure that an employee is granted breaks as follows: (1) An employer shall not require an employee to work for a period of more than 4 hours and 30 minutes without allowing him or his a break of at least 15 minutes. (2) An employer shall not require an employee to work for a period of more than 6 hours without allowing him or his a break of at least 30 minutes; such a break may include the break referred to in subsection (1). (3) The Minister may by regulations provide, as respects a specified class or classes of employee, that the minimum duration of the break to be allowed to such an employee under subsection (2) shall be more than 30 minutes (but not more than 1 hour). (4) A break allowed to an employee at the end of the working day shall not be regarded as satisfying the requirement contained in subsection (1) or (2). As the Respondent did not attend the adjudication hearing, no records were presented to me to contradict the Complainant’s assertion. I am of the view that the Complainant was a credible witness and I accept his submission.
CA-00030720-009 Annual Leave entitlement The subject matter of this complaint has been addressed under CA-00030720-006 above. Accordingly, I find that this complaint is a duplicate of CA-00030720-006 above and, therefore, is not well founded.
CA-00030720-010 Public Holiday entitlements The subject matter of this complaint has been addressed under CA-00030720-004 above. Accordingly, I find that this complaint is a duplicate of CA-00030720-004 above and, therefore, is not well founded.
CA-00030720-011 Terms and Conditions of Employment – Written Statement Section 3(1) of the Terms of Employment (Information)Act, 1994 stipulates that “An employer shall, not later than 2 months after the commencement of an employee's employment with the employer, give or cause to be given to the employee a statement in writing containing the following particulars of the terms of the employee's employment…” Based on the uncontested evidence of the Complainant, I find that the Complainant was not provided with a written statement of Terms and Conditions of Employment as per Section 3 of the Act. I find that the Respondent has breached Section 3 of the Act.
CA-00030720-012 Terms and conditions of Employment – Notification of Changes Section 5(1) of the Terms of Employment (Information) Act, 1994 stipulates that “whenever a change is made or occurs in any of the particulars of the statement furnished by an employer under section 3, 4or 6, the employer shall notify the employee in writing of the nature and date of the change as soon as may be thereafter, but not later than— (a) 1 month after the change takes effect, “ Based on the uncontested evidence of the Complainant, I find that the Complainant did not receive any written notification of the changes to his pay as a result of changes to the payroll system which occurred in February 2019.
CA-00030720-013 Unfair Dismissal This is referral for unfair dismissal under the Industrial Relations Acts. Whilst an employee with less than twelve months of service is not covered by the Unfair Dismissals Acts, this does not negate their entitlement to fair procedures in relation to grievance and disciplinary matters. The Code of Practice on Grievance and Disciplinary Procedures (SI 146 of 2000), which promotes best practice in the conduct of grievance and disciplinary procedures, emphasises the importance of procedures to ensure fairness and natural justice. The Code of Practice emphasises that good practice entails a number of stages in the discipline and grievance process as follows: · That employee grievances are fairly examined and processed · That details of any allegations or complaints are put to the employee concerned · That the employee concerned is given the opportunity to respond fully to any such allegations or complaints · That the employee concerned is given the opportunity to avail of the right to be represented during the procedure · That the employee concerned has the right to a fair and impartial determination of the issues concerned, taking into account any representations made by, or on behalf of, the employee and any other relevant or appropriate evidence, factors, circumstances. It is clear from evidence adduced at the hearing that the Worker in the herein case was not provided with details of any performance issue and he was not aware that he was in danger of losing his job. In the herein case, I am satisfied that the Employer’s handling of the entire matter clearly breached the Worker’s right to fair procedures and natural justice. |
Decision/Recommendation:
Section 41 of the Workplace Relations Act 2015 requires that I make a decision in relation to the complaints in accordance with the relevant redress provisions under Schedule 6 of that Act.
Section 8 of the Unfair Dismissals Acts, 1977 – 2015 requires that I make a decision in relation to the unfair dismissal claim consisting of a grant of redress in accordance with section 7 of the 1977 Act.
Section 13 of the Industrial Relations Acts, 1969 requires that I make a recommendation in relation to the dispute.
CA-00030720-001 Minimum Wage Based on the uncontested evidence of the Complainant, I find that this complaint is well founded and I require the Respondent to pay the Complainant redress of €886.76.
CA-00030720-002 Compensation for Working on Sunday Based on the uncontested evidence of the Complainant, I find that this complaint is well founded. I direct the Respondent to pay the Complainant €140 in respect of outstanding Sunday premium payments.
CA-00030720-003 Payment of Wages Based on the uncontested evidence of the Complainant, I find that this complaint is well founded in part and I direct the Respondent to pay the Complainant redress of €360.
CA-00030720-004 Annual Leave entitlement Based on the uncontested evidence of the Complainant, I find that this complaint is well founded. I direct the Respondent to pay the Complainant €260 for the economic loss in respect of the annual leave entitlement. I also require the Respondent to pay the Complainant an additional €250 in compensation for breach of his rights under Section 19 of the Act.
CA-00030720-005 Public Holiday entitlements Based on the uncontested evidence of the Complainant, I find that this complaint is well founded. I direct the Respondent to pay the Complainant redress of €70 in respect of the public holiday on which he worked during the cognisable period. Furthermore, the Respondent is directed to pay the Complainant an additional €100 in compensation in respect of the infringement of his employment rights.
CA-00030720-006 Payment in lieu of notice Based on the uncontested evidence of the Complainant, I find that this complaint is well founded. I direct the Respondent to pay the Complainant €350.
CA-00030720-007 Daily rest period I find that this complaint is not well founded.
CA-00030720-008 Breaks Based on the uncontested evidence of the Complainant, I find that this complaint is well founded and I direct the Respondent to pay the Complainant compensation of €300.
CA-00030720-009 Annual Leave entitlement I find that this complaint is not well founded.
CA-00030720-010 Public Holiday entitlements I find that this complaint is not well founded
CA-00030720-011 Terms and Conditions of Employment – Written Statement Based on the uncontested evidence of the Complainant, I find that this complaint is well founded. I direct the Respondent to pay the Complainant compensation of €1,400 in respect of the contravention being the equivalent of approximately four weeks’ pay, the maximum permitted under the Act, which I consider to be fair and reasonable in all the circumstances of the complaint.
CA-00030720-012 Terms and conditions of Employment – Notification of Changes Based on the uncontested evidence of the Complainant, I find that this complaint is well founded. I direct the Respondent to pay the Complainant compensation of €700 which I consider to be fair and reasonable in all the circumstances of the complaint.
CA-00030720-013 Unfair Dismissal Based on the uncontested evidence of the Worker, I find that this complaint is well founded and that the Worker was unfairly dismissed. I direct the Employer to pay the Worker redress of €1,000. |
Dated: 20th April 2020
Workplace Relations Commission Adjudication Officer: Marie Flynn
Key Words:
Multiple complaints – Employment Rights and Industrial Relations (unfair dismissal) |