Worker has employment claims thrown out because she turned up 30 minutes late to hearing
The Workplace Relations Commission has thrown out multiple employment rights claims by a worker at a community probation service because she turned up half an hour late for her hearing before an adjudication officer last month.
Maureen McHugh filed complaints against her employer, the Tallaght Probation Project, trading as Deonach, alleging breaches of the Employment Equality Act 1998, the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994, and the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.
Ms McHugh earned €2,400 a month for a 19-hour week as a tutor with the west Dublin charity, which operates probation courses for young offenders and adults funded by the State.
Her complaints were received by the WRC in January and February 2025 and were listed for hearing at 9.30am on Wednesday 30 April last at Lansdowne House in Dublin 4.
In decision documents published today by the WRC, adjudication officer Breiffni O'Neill wrote: "[Ms McHugh] did not attend at the appointed time of 9.30am to give evidence in relation to her complaints."
"She telephoned the WRC's reception desk at 9.30am to explain that she was delayed by 10 minutes due to traffic. I therefore waited until 9.50am, and as she was still not in attendance at that time, I proceeded with the hearing," he added.
He noted that the employer's representative and two witnesses were present, but as Ms McHugh "was not present to give evidence", the hearing concluded without any evidence being taken.
Ms McHugh arrived to the tribunal building at 10am, Mr O'Neill added.
"I explained to her that as she had not arrived at the appointed time of 9.30am and within a reasonable period afterwards, I had proceeded to hear the matter and it had concluded," Mr O'Neill added.
Mr O'Neill rejected Ms McHugh's complaints as "not well founded" on the basis that she "did not attend the hearing to give evidence" or that she had failed to raise an inference of discrimination by failing to present evidence.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sunday World
a day ago
- Sunday World
Irish American community pays tribute to mum-of-three killed in murder-suicide
Arlene Connolly-O'Neill died at the hands of her husband Sean O'Neill on the morning of Wednesday, October 16. The Irish American mother of three who was killed by her husband in a murder-suicide has been remembered in a 'living tribute" at the school where she taught. Arlene Connolly-O'Neill died at the hands of her husband Sean O'Neill on the morning of Wednesday, October 16. There has been an outpouring of grief among the devastated Irish American community in Yonkers, New York, in the aftermath. Now, a tree has planted in her memory as "a beautiful nod to her strong Irish heritage' at the Yonkers elementary school where she had taught for more than two decades. Irish Central is reporting that the Eastchester Police Department shared photos from the unveiling of the tribute at Anne Hutchinson Elementary School on June 3. Arlene Connolly-O'Neill News in 90 Seconds - 7th June According to the police department's social media, teachers and students from the school, as well as two officers, came together to honor Connolly-O'Neill's memory by planting a tree in front of the school as a 'lasting symbol of her spirit and the many lives she touched'. "Students lovingly decorated rocks with green hearts, a beautiful nod to her strong Irish heritage and the warmth she shared with our school community,' the post reads. "May this tree grow strong and proud as Arlene continues to do in our hearts." Arlene, whose parents were from Co Monaghan and Co Galway, was a popular figure throughout the tight-knit Irish American community in Yonkers, where she lived her entire life. On October 16, police said that 47-year-old Arlene was shot multiple times by her 54-year-old husband Sean O'Neill, a retired NYPD Police Officer, before he turned the weapon on himself in their home in Yonkers. On October 23, a joint funeral was held for Arlene and Sean in Yonkers. In a heart wrenching speech at the end of the Mass, Arlene's brother Mark Connolly told the congregation that "no one's really sure why things turned out the way they did." He said: "We want everyone here to know that our family will not be defined by the events of that day but by the love we continue to have for one another." The couple is survived by their three sons, aged 15, 13, and 11 who are now in the care of their extended family. Following the tragedy a 'Go Green for Arlene' campaign launched by the Ladies Guild at the Annunciation Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Yonkers saw homes and businesses throughout the neighbourhood hang green bows and ribbons in her memory. The initiative was backed by the City of Yonkers, as well as numerous local businesses and community groups. In a further show of support, people on social media also changed their profile pictures to an image of a green heart with 'Arlene' written under it, Irish Central reports. An obituary shared by Flynn Memorial Home in Yonkers, described Arlene as "a proud Irish-American" who "cherished her friends and family." While she loved music and New York sports, "above all, her most-adored past time was going on nonstop adventures with her three boys, who were the loves of her life. The boys were her entire universe and she would have moved mountains for them." The obituary reads: "Arlene was a larger than life human being whose beautiful eyes and bright smile could light up a room. Her energy was infectious. 'She is gone too soon and will be dearly missed by so many. The world now has a void that can never be filled. Our hearts are heavy with her loss." According to the local Daily Voice publication, "In the months since her passing, O'Neill's family, friends, and the Eastchester school community have gathered repeatedly to grieve, honor, and celebrate her life." It added: "The tree planting is the latest in a series of tributes that reflect how deeply she was loved."
Sunday World
2 days ago
- Sunday World
Man jailed for peeing in Garda cell after his arrest
When he was put into the holding cell, Andrew O'Neill urinated on a cell door A Dublin man has been jailed for two months for urinating in a Garda cell in Co Donegal after he was arrested. Andrew O'Neill appeared at Letterkenny District Court after a drunken episode at Letterkenny bus station on April 3rd, 2024. The 34-year-old was drunk and becoming aggressive with a bus driver at 1.35pm on the day in question. Gardai were called and O'Neill, of Gardiner Street in Dublin, was arrested and taken to Letterkenny Garda Station and was searched. Stock image News in 90 Seconds - 6th June 2025 A quantity of drugs with a street value of €40 was found on the accused. When he was put into the holding cell, O'Neill urinated on a cell door. He was charged with causing criminal damage, being intoxicated in a public place and failing to comply with the directions of An Garda Siochana. O'Neill, who has 58 previous convictions including many under the Misuse of Drugs Act, is currently in custody on other matters. Solicitor for the accused, Mr Rory O'Brien said his client had come to Donegal from his native Dublin in a bid to kick his drug habit. On the day he was under the influence and Mr O'Brien said his client regrets all that happened. He added that when this happened he was on a "downward spiral" through alcohol and that he continues to need a significant amount of assistance for his addiction. Judge Eiteain Cunningham put it to Garda Sergeant Jim Collins that she presumed the station cell required a "deep clean" following the incident adding that this was simply "not acceptable behaviour." Judge Cunningham sentenced O'Neill to two months in prison for the criminal damage charge and took the other charges into consideration.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Irish Times
Keelings worker fired over claims regarding dead co-workers
The Keelings fruit and vegetable group sacked a warehouse worker after deciding he had brought the company into disrepute with 'false' posts on social media claiming excessive night work hours contributed to the deaths of two of his colleagues in 2013, a tribunal has heard. The worker, Rudolf Csikos, lost his job of 16 years with the north Co Dublin produce firm last December, and is pursuing a number of employment rights complaints against Keelings Logistics Solutions. The company maintains it was justified in dismissing him on the grounds of gross misconduct after an investigation which concluded he had 'acted recklessly by publishing false and misleading information' implying that Keelings was 'responsible for the deaths of two colleagues as a result of excessive working hours'. The LinkedIn posts were made amid a long-running legal row between Mr Csikos and his employer over alleged breaches of working time legislation. READ MORE A statutory complaint under the Organisation of Working Time Act originally filed in late 2019 by Mr Csikos remains live over five years later. Having been rejected as 'vexatious' by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), that ruling was quashed by the Labour Court on appeal and referred back to the WRC. In addition to a dispute over the payment of a Sunday premium, which Keelings maintains is covered by a collective agreement, Mr Csikos has alleged the company failed to comply with its legal obligations on the employment of night workers such as himself. 'The night working hours was breached by the company, and that's why it caused the people to die,' Mr Csikos said via a Hungarian-language interpreter at an initial hearing last week. When adjudicator Brian Dalton pointed out that Mr Csikos was not medically qualified and there was no medical evidence before him, Mr Csikos said his assertion was that there was a 'possibility'. The company's representative, Emily Maverley of the Irish Business and Employers' Confederation (Ibec), said the Keelings workers referred to by Mr Csikos in his posts 'passed away, unfortunately, in 2013', some 11 years before the posts. Giving evidence last week, company disciplinary officer Alan Morrissey said the posts were 'damaging to the Keelings name, and our customers and other stakeholders'. 'There was no going back. I asked Rudolf did he think he made a mistake. He was quite happy in what he said and did,' he said. Asked whether he was aware of the allegations Mr Csikos had aired about his working hours, Mr Morrissey said he didn't 'get into it', but said he believed Mr Csikos had referred to the posts as a protected disclosure. Lauren O'Brien, head of people for Keelings Logistics, said at an earlier hearing in the case last week that she was 'concerned' after seeing the first post, which the tribunal heard Mr Csikos posted on LinkedIn at the end of October 2024. 'It was seriously defamatory to several ex-colleagues, accusing us of being responsible for the deaths of two colleagues,' Ms O'Brien said. At a hearing on Thursday, the company investigation officer, Damien O'Brien, noted in his report that Mr Csikos continued to allege Keelings had broken the law and maintained his comments 'were not false' when they met on an unspecified date last year. He quoted Mr Csikos as saying: 'How many more people need to die?' and said Mr Csikos was 'consistent that his beliefs are honestly held' and that it was 'not the first time he has raised these concerns'. Mr Csikos, cross-examining Mr O'Brien, asked: 'Why did he not say that Keelings is keeping according to the law and is making progress to keep the law and do things according to the regulations?' Mr O'Brien replied: 'My objective was to investigate the two posts.' Mr Dalton said: '[Mr Csikos] is claiming two workers died. That's not something [the witness] could exercise any role in.' Mr Csikos said: 'In my opinion, it was that if the working hours are breached and the health and safety regulations are breached, we can draw a conclusion.' 'We have no conclusion on that, and that doesn't follow, because [Mr Csikos] is not medically qualified. We have no evidence that there's a correlation between the [alleged] breach and what he says has happened. He may speculate, and he may have an opinion. He cannot use this forum as an opportunity to make outlandish allegations,' Mr Dalton said. Mr Dalton said the matter was at an 'impasse' without further submissions being made to him about the company's working time records. He adjourned the matter and said he would seek a further hearing date in July. In addition to the original Organisation of Working Time Act claim, Mr Csikos's further complaints are under the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act 1973, the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 and the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 against the company, arising from his dismissal.
