A school secretary has been awarded €25,000 after an unfair dismissal case, put forward by Fórsa, was ruled in her favour.

Fórsa official Shane Lambert represented the member and argued that the disciplinary process enacted by the school was flawed at several points.

The member was alleged to have paid unauthorised pay increases to herself, but Shane argued that the Board of Management had determined wrongdoing from the outset and did not investigate the allegations in a fair and impartial manner, considering the school secretary’s account that she had received payment authorisation verbally from her line manager, and the increases were entitlements awarded on foot of a national agreement.

“The secretary had worked at the school with an unblemished record for fourteen years before she was unfairly dismissed. This was a flawed investigatory/disciplinary process that resulted in a long serving worker losing her job,” said Shane.

“Although it seemed there was a due process at a very high level in the investigation, when we distilled it down to the adjudicator, they were able to establish that the investigation was tainted and awarded our member €25,000,” he continued.

Shane said this case highlights the importance of workers joining a trade union.

“It shows the importance of being part of a union. These cases can have a huge effect on one’s mental, physical, or financial well-being and it is extremely important they have the right advice and support in place,” he said.

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