Kylemore Abbey company ordered to pay out for unfair dismissal

Galway Bay fm newsroom – The operator of Kylemore Abbey and Gardens has been ordered to pay 76 thousand euro in an unfair dismissal case.
Kylemore Abbey and Gardens Limited is controlled by Kylemore Trust which is owned by the Benedictine nuns.
Fergus Lally, a brother of well-known hotelier John Lally, worked as an assistant retail manager in the craft shop at Kylemore from June 2010.
The Employment Appeals Tribunal heard that Chief Executive of Kylemore Abbey and Gardens Limited, Pat Lavelle, made the decision that Fergus Lally be made redundant.
Mr. Lally said he was in shock at the decision as there was no prior indication that his job was under threat.
According to today’s Irish Independent, the hearing heard that Fergus Lally accepted a cheque for 6 thousand 240 euro in respect of statutory redundancy in February 2015.
He said he accepted the cheque under protest and that his annual salary was 38 thousand euro.
The EAT found that Fergus Lally was afforded no consultation prior to the redundancy decision being made and was given no right of representation at the meeting with the chief executive.
The tribunal therefore decided that his dismissal was unfair and unreasonable and awarded him 76 thousand euro in addition to the original redundancy cheque.