Complainant

Respondent

Parties

Gitana Prochoroviene

Cribbin Family Butchers Limited (in liquidation)

Complainant

Respondent

Anonymised Parties

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Representatives

Noel Murphy Cork Operative Butchers / IWU

Edward Walsh Edward Walsh Corporate Services Limited

Act

Complaint/Dispute Reference No.

Date of Receipt

Complaint seeking adjudication by the Workplace Relations Commission under Section 39 of the Redundancy Payments Act, 1967

CA-00056682-001

15/05/2023

Complaint seeking adjudication by the Workplace Relations Commission under section 27 of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997

CA-00056682-002 WITHDRAWN

15/05/2023

Complaint seeking adjudication by the Workplace Relations Commission under Section 12 of the Minimum Notice & Terms of Employment Act, 1973

CA-00056682-003

15/05/2023

It is common case that the Complainant was made redundant when the company ceased trading on 19 November 2022 and that no statutory notice was received by the Complainant.  The Respondent paid the statutory redundancy sum for the  calculated  period  from 15 January 2015 to 19 November 2022. The Complainant is seeking payment of  the statutory sum for the  additional period  from commencement of employment on 13 December 2004  to 15 January 2015 under the Redundancy Payments Act 1967 (“the 1967 Act”).

The Complainant received compensation in lieu of four weeks’ notice and is seeking the additional compensation in lieu as provided for under the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act 1973 (“ the 1973 Act”

CA-00056682-01: Redundancy Payment:

The Complainant gave evidence that  she earned €280 for the purposes of the Act, and she was in continuous employment from 13 December 2004. The Complainant accepted she was paid the equivalent statutory redundancy sum in the  period from 15 January 2015 to 19 November 2022.

CA-00056682-003: Minimum Notice:

The Complainant accepted that she was paid compensation in lieu equivalent to four weeks’ pay but is seeking the additional four  weeks’ pay due to her  under the 1973 Act.

The Respondent accepts that there was a genuine redundancy situation and that the statutory sum was paid to  the Complainant for the period from 15 January 2015 to 19 November 2022.

The Respondent accepts that when the company ceased trading and went into liquidation, the Complainant received no statutory notice. However, the Complainant was paid  compensation in lieu of notice of the equivalent of four weeks’ pay based on reckonable weekly earnings.  

CA-00056682-001: Redundancy Payment:

The entitlement to a redundancy payment is set out in Section 7 of the Redundancy Payments Act, 1967 which states as follows:

7(1) An employee, if he is dismissed by his employer by reason of redundancy or is laid off or kept on short-time for the minimum period, shall, subject to this Act, be entitled to the payment of moneys which shall be known (and are in this Act referred to) as redundancy payment provided—

(a) he has been employed for the requisite period, and

(b) he was an employed contributor in employment which was insurable for all benefits under the Social Welfare Acts, 1952 to 1966, immediately before the date of the termination of his employment or had ceased to be ordinarily employed in employment which was so insurable in the period of four years ending on that date.

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), an employee who is dismissed shall be taken to be dismissed by reason of redundancy if for one or more reasons not related to the employee concerned the dismissal is attributable wholly or mainly to—

(a) the fact that his employer has ceased, or intends to cease, to carry on the business for the purposes of which the employee was employed by him, or has ceased or intends to cease, to carry on that business in the place where the employee was so employed, or

(b) the fact that the requirements of that business for employees to carry out work of a particular kind in the place where he was so employed have ceased or diminished or are expected to cease or diminish, or

(c) the fact that his employer has decided to carry on the business with fewer or no employees, whether by requiring the work for which the employee had been employed (or had been doing before his dismissal) to be done by other employees or otherwise, or

(d) the fact that his employer has decided that the work for which the employee had been employed (or had been doing before his dismissal) should henceforward be done in a different manner for which the employee is not sufficiently qualified or trained, or

(e) the fact that his employer has decided that the work for which the employee had been employed (or had been doing before his dismissal) should henceforward be done by a person who is also capable of doing other work for which the employee is not sufficiently qualified or trained,

Based on the uncontested evidence of the Complainant I find that she was made redundant under Section 7 (2)(a). I allow the Complainants appeal and I award her statutory redundancy on the following basis. Section 4(1) of the 1967  Act states “Subject to this section and to section 47 this Act shall apply to employees employed in employment which is insurable for all benefits under the Social Welfare Acts, 1952 to 1966 and to employees who were so employed in such employment in the period of two years ending on the date of termination of employment.”

CA-00056682-003: Minimum Notice:

Section 4 of the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Acts, 1973 to 2005 provides:-

4.—(1) An employer shall, in order to terminate the contract of employment of an employee who has been in his continuous service for a period of thirteen weeks or more, give to that employee a minimum period of notice calculated in accordance with the provisions of subsection (2) of this section.

“(2) The minimum notice to be given by an employer to terminate the contract of employment of his employee shall be—

(a) if the employee has been in the continuous service of his employer for less than two years, one week,

(b) if the employee has been in the continuous service of his employer for two years or more, but less than five years, two weeks,

(c) if the employee has been in the continuous service of his employer for five years or more, but less than ten years, four weeks,

(d) if the employee has been in the continuous service of his employer for ten years or more, but less than fifteen years, six weeks,

(e) if the employee has been in the continuous service of his employer for fifteen years or more, eight weeks.”

The uncontested evidence in this case was that the Complainant was in employment for more than fifteen years therefore she was entitled to eight weeks’ notice. Evidence was given that she already received payment in lieu of notice of four weeks. I find that the complaint is  well founded.  The Complainant did not receive her full statutory minimum notice and is entitled to an  additional four  weeks’ pay in lieu of notice  under the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Information Act 1973.

Section 39 of the Redundancy Payments Acts 1967 – 2012 requires that I make a decision in relation to the complaint in accordance with the relevant redress provisions under that Act.

CA-00056682-001: I allow the Complainant’s appeal and , subject to the Complainant being in employment which was insurable for this purpose under the Social Welfare Acts, she is  entitled to a redundancy payment of two weeks per year (or part thereof) plus a week on the following basis;

Date of Commencement: 13 December 2004

Date of Reckonable Service for Redundancy Payment Ceasing on: 15 January 2015 (the Complainant already having received the statutory sum for the period 15 January 2015 to 19 November 2022)

Gross Weekly Wage: €280

CA-00056682-003: Minimum Notice

 Section 41 of the Workplace Relations Act 2015 requires that I make a decision in relation to the complaint in accordance with the relevant redress provisions under Schedule 6 of that Act.

I find that the complaint under the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act 1973 was well founded. The Complainant has already received payment in lieu of notice based on four weeks reckonable weekly earnings. I direct the Respondent to pay the Complainant an additional four weeks’ pay as compensation in lieu of notice. 

Redundancy Payments Act 1967, Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act 1973.