More redundancy awards for GAA club staff

The GAA club once regarded as Ireland's richest is facing a mounting bill for severance pay running to tens of thousands of euro after leaving staff in "employment limbo" for years following its shutdown during Covid-19.

Parnells GAA Club Ltd has been hit by two more orders under the Redundancy Payments Act 1967 on foot of complaints by former staff.

It brings to 11 the number of former employees to establish an entitlement to a lump sum after being left out of work when the first Covid-19 lockdown was imposed in March 2020. The affected workers include bar and restaurant staff, security workers, a payroll administrator and a receptionist.

In decisions published by the WRC today, restaurant manager Louise Hannon and bar manager Owen Fanning were granted an extension of time limits on their redundancy claims against the club.

They were told they were too late to attempt to recover alleged unpaid wages and annual leave.

Both workers told an adjudicator they were informed on 12 March 2020 that their workplace was "closing due to 'Covid’ restrictions".

They had "no further communication" from their employer since, with neither the bar nor the restaurant at the Parnells having reopened by the time of adjudication hearings in August and September this year, the tribunal noted.

Adjudicator Michael McEntee wrote in his decision: "An employee, faced with a ‘closed gate’ situation and no communication from the former employer is reasonably allowed to presume he or she has been made redundant."

He said a period of "employment limbo" was also reasonable, as there had been pandemic-era support schemes in place intended to preserve employment relationships.

Mr McEntee accepted that the actions of Ms Hannon and Mr Fanning in writing to their employer to look for redundancy in May 2023 was "tantamount to accepting that, in the complete absence of any employer communications, [that] the ‘job was over’".

He noted that the legislation on statutory redundancy gave discretion for an extension of time limits from one year from termination of employment to two years, which was in contrast with the shorter maximum jurisdiction in the working time and payment of wages legislation.

On that basis he found that the two workers were too late to claw back alleged unpaid wages and holiday pay under the Payment of Wages Act and the Organisation of Working Time Act. He found that they were entitled to pursue redundancy lump sums and directed payment on the basis of the statutory formula.

The exact amount to be paid to each worker is calculated by the Department of Social Protection based on their pay, length of service, and subject to a review of their individual social insurance records.

The workers are each in line for an award equivalent to several months’ wages each, with the aggregate lump sums running to tens of thousands of euro.

At a hearing in May 2023, one of the workers, security man Graham Coventry, was told by adjudicator Breiffni O’Neill: "Just send the decision into the social insurance fund and they’ll pay you and then they’ll then chase the club for the redundancy money."

"I’ll be clear: if Parnells don’t pay it, give them a few weeks to pay it, if you want, and then send it into the Department [of Social Protection] and they’ll chase it for you," he added.

"I had a feeling I wouldn’t get the wages or the holidays; but as long as I get the redundancy that’s the main thing," Mr Coventry said. He won his redundancy claim.

Parnells was once regarded as the wealthiest GAA club in the country after a Celtic Tiger-era land deal for its playing fields near Dublin Airport brought in a reported €23 million in 2008.