Accountant Wins Over €25,000 for Unfair Dismissal from James P McCann Ireland Ltd

Siobhán McDonagh, a financial controller earning over €50,000 annually, won €25,177.62 for unfair dismissal from James P McCann Ireland Ltd. The Workplace Relations Commission published its decision on Friday.

McDonagh, who worked for the company for 17 years, testified she was told in January she was being made redundant and was laughed at when she inquired about her lump sum. She was informed she would have to claim redundancy from the State, which she later received from the Social Protection Fund.

Managing director Seoirse McCann stated the company, once involved in 12 businesses, was reduced to two Dublin arcades facing «extreme financial difficulties» after a Dundalk bingo hall closed last year. He claimed outsourcing McDonagh's work, as the sole full-time office worker outside operations, would save approximately €30,000 annually. Adjudicator Glazier-Farmer acknowledged a redundancy situation and company downturn but found «significant procedural defects» in McDonagh's termination.