A publican, retailer and post office operator has been ordered to pay his ex-wife €9,500 for her unfair dismissal from the family run business.However, the woman - who was also a director of the business - sued for unfair dismissal at the Workplace Relations Commission and WRC Adjudication Officer, Anne McElduff has found that the woman’s claim is well founded.
Ms McElduff found that the woman was not advised or forewarned in advance that she may be dismissed from her employment. The independent investigator found that between February 5th 2018 and February 14th 2019 a total of €25,160 was transferred on-line to the joint personal bank account of the husband and wife in 19 separate transactions from the company’s post office bank account.
In the letter of dismissal, the businessman’s brother told his sister-in-law that the manner in which she has conducted yourself on the matter “is totally unacceptable”. The complainant stated that she was advised by another accountant in the company’s accountancy firm that she could top up her wages by withdrawals of €1000.
She stated that immediately after her return from holidays in February 2019 she was denied access to the business credit/cash card and that everything was “stripped from her” in February 2019 including her job.