Latest news with #MsSanchez
RTÉ News
02-07-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Manager who sent cleaner home over blue hair dye wins €10,000 at WRC
A manager found by her employer to have produced a "fraudulent" training record after sending a cleaner home for turning up to work with blue dye in her hair has secured €10,000 in compensation following her sacking. Michelle Murray lost her job as a client services manager with Cagney Maintenance Service Ltd, trading as Cagney Contract Cleaning, last August, following the findings of a company investigation into her conduct, which were found to be "reasonable" by the Workplace Relations Commission. However, the tribunal concluded that although dismissal was a "reasonable" sanction, the company had erred by failing to allow her cross-examine her accusers, rendering her dismissal unfair. The tribunal heard that suspicions were raised when a HR manager noticed "a swipe of Tipp-Ex" on a document recording that the worker sent home had received induction training covering rules on "extreme hair colours". The tribunal heard that since 2012, Ms Murray had been in charge of a "flagship contract" at a prominent site in Dublin City, run as a joint venture in the events industry between the Office of Public Works (OPW) and a private enterprise. The tribunal heard that in mid-March 2023, a team leader working under Ms Murray, Sylvia Sanchez, arrived to work at the site with some blue dye in her hair. Ms Murray said she was contacted by staff of the client site telling her this was not allowed, and that she told Ms Sanchez this was "against the dress code" and that she "would have to change it". Ms Sanchez "was upset and left the site", she added. "Your hair is lovely, but I can't allow this on [the site]," Ms Murray wrote in a text message of 11 March 2023 to the worker, which was opened to the hearing. Ms Sanchez quit a few days later, the tribunal heard. Around this time, in the spring of 2023, Ms Murray had a number of absences due to family reasons, force majeure and illness, the tribunal was told - spending six weeks out of work before returning on 4 May 2023. Ms Murray said she was "ambushed and blindsided" when the firm's managing director called her to a meeting on her first day back and told her she was multiple further allegations before suspending her. Ms Murray said in her evidence that she was "confident" Ms Sanchez was aware of the company's policy on hair colouring as she had "undergone induction training on two separate occasions". Ms Sanchez, who was called as a witness by the company, said she was not aware of the ban on hair dye and told the WRC she had other colleagues with dyed hair – including one with "purple and green" in her hair. Gareth Kyne of Management Support Services, who appeared for the respondent, questioned Ms Sanchez on a document stating that she had been at an induction course covering hair dye policy. The worker told the tribunal she did not have the induction training and that her signature was "forged" on the document. She told the hearing she had observed Ms Murray "yelling" at her co-workers and said that some workers had "left the job because of the treatment they received" from Ms Murray. She added that the company would not let her back to work unless she changed her hair colour. A former HR officer with the firm, Nicole O'Carroll, carried out an investigation into complaints against Ms Murray. She told the tribunal she noticed "a swipe of Tipp Ex" on one of the attendance sheets and wondered whether the document had been "doctored". Ms O'Carroll said her investigation findings included "clear fraudulent information provided in a grievance to mislead an investigation" - confirming that the "fraudulent information" she referred to in her report was Ms Sanchez's training record. Among other allegations were reports of Ms Murray "shouting at colleagues" and using "vulgar and expletive language", she noted. Ms Murray's position in evidence was that she "did not falsify any document", "did not use Tipp-Ex on any document" and had "no knowledge of how it got onto the document". "I'm not changing my story. It is how it is, and it did not happen," she said – telling the WRC the behaviours she was accused of "did not take place". Ms Murray told the tribunal she had given Cagney "100% at all times over the 17 years" only to have her livelihood and her "good work and name" taken away. She said the WRC hearings were "the only opportunity she got to speak". Adjudicator John Harraghy expressed "reservations" about the investigation, but concluded it came to "reasonable conclusions" and the decision to dismiss Ms Murray was also "reasonable". However, the dismissal was rendered unfair because Ms Murray was denied the right to cross-examine her accusers during a disciplinary meeting, he concluded. Mr Harraghy ruled the unfair dismissal complaint "well-founded", concluding: "I am not convinced that the respondent's disciplinary procedure was fair and in compliance with the principles of natural justice." Ms Murray had sought "the maximum award" of compensation of over €118,000 - but Mr Harraghy noted her evidence that she had opted to work just one day a week following her dismissal "to avoid exceeding the earnings threshold to qualify for Carer's Benefit". He decided €5,580 was "just and equitable" compensation in the case. He awarded Ms Murray a further €4,500 for a breach of the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994 on foot of a finding that the company had failed to furnish Ms Murray with a full statement of her terms of conditions of employment when she was hired in April 2006. Further employment rights complaints by Ms Murray were either withdrawn or dismissed by the tribunal. Robert Donnelly, BL appeared for Ms Murray in the case, instructed by solicitor James Kavanagh of Padraig Hyland & Co. The company was represented by HR consultancy Management Support Services (Ireland) Ltd.
Perth Now
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Incredible scenes as Bezos' ‘wedding of century' kicks off
The spectacular festivities are in full swing as hundreds of A-List celebrities and business leaders descend on Venice for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former Fox News anchor Lauren Sanchez's wedding. Much of the 'floating city' has been cordoned off to accommodate the three-day extravaganza that is reportedly set to cost the billionaire around $86 million. Kim and Khloe Kardashian have been spotted numerous times moving from venue to venue, newly single Orlando Bloom has been doing the rounds and Oprah Winfrey has touched down after making the trip to Italy. Security around the hotels and wedding venue has been tight as local residents and tourists voice their disapproval over travel and venue restrictions, as more and more high profile visitors pour into the city. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez leave the Aman Hotel to go to dinner with guests ahead of their wedding. Credit: GC Images. Mr Bezos and Ms Sanchez landed in Venice via helicopter on Wednesday and took up residence in the luxury Aman hotel, where rooms with a view of the Grand Canal go for at least $7155 per night. The couple was spotted around dinner time as they left the hotel in a water taxi, waving at photographers and crowds, with Ms Sanchez blowing air kisses in a vintage Alexander McQueen dress. Oprah Winfrey is one of the latest stars to arrive in Venice for the Bezos/Sanchez wedding. Credit: GC Images. US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner have also been spotted shopping in Venice after arriving earlier in the week, American sporting superstar and NFL Hall of Famer Tom Brady is also in town and Hollywood megastar Leonardo Di Caprio has been trying to keep a low profile ahead of the big day. Numbers for the nuptials are expected to be around 200-250 in what has been dubbed the 'wedding of the century', with guests set to gather on Thursday evening in the cloisters of Madonna dell'Orto, a medieval church in the central area of Cannaregio that hosts masterpieces by 16th century painter Tintoretto. The city council has banned pedestrians and water traffic from the area from 4.30pm local time until midnight, blocking out protesters who have pledged to spoil the party. Mr Bezos and Ms Sanchez are set to exchange vows on Friday on the small island of San Giorgio, opposite the main St Mark's Square, in a ceremony which, according to a senior City Hall official, will have no legal status under Italian law. Kim and Khloe Kardashian is Venice for the wedding extravaganza. Credit: SGP/Sipa USA. Some have speculated that the couple have already legally wed in the United States, sparing them from the bureaucracy associated with an Italian marriage, such as it having to take place in an approved venue and the local town hall needing to be notified in advance. US television personality Kris Jenner takes pictures of Khloe and Kim Kardashian. Credit: AFP. Celebrations will conclude on Saturday with the main wedding bash to be held at one of the halls of the Arsenale, a vast former medieval shipyard turned into an art space in the eastern Castello district. The 'No Space for Bezos' movement is planning demonstrations against an event they see as a sell-off of Venice to the uber-wealthy while the needs of ordinary citizens are ignored — but not all the locals are hostile. Politicians, hoteliers and other residents say high-end events, rather than multitudes of low-spending daytrippers, are a better way to support the local economy, and dismiss the protesters as a fringe minority. Leonardo Di Caprio was keeping a low profile in Venice. Credit: GC Images. 'We're not talking about hundreds or thousands of people, we're talking about a few dozen,' said Daniele Minotto, vice president of the Venetian Hoteliers Association. Davide Busato, an archaeologist behind the 'Yes Venice Can' pro-Bezos group, said billionaire tourism gives the city a chance to show off its specialities. 'The idea that a 'morality office' should decide who gets to marry in Venice is a disturbing concept, unworthy of a free city,' he wrote on Facebook. Venice has hosted scores of VIP weddings. US actor George Clooney and human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin tied the knot there in 2014, and Indian billionaires Vinita Agarwal and Muqit Teja did so in 2011, without significant disruptions. Mr Bezos, executive chair of e-commerce giant Amazon and No.4 on Forbes' billionaires list, got engaged to Sanchez in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to MacKenzie Scott. with AAP.
West Australian
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sanchez wedding: Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey in Venice for Amazon founder's nuptials
The spectacular festivities are in full swing as hundreds of A-List celebrities and business leaders descend on Venice for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former Fox News anchor Lauren Sanchez's wedding. Much of the 'floating city' has been cordoned off to accommodate the three-day extravaganza that is reportedly set to cost the billionaire around $86 million. Kim and Khloe Kardashian have been spotted numerous times moving from venue to venue, newly single Orlando Bloom has been doing the rounds and Oprah Winfrey has touched down after making the trip to Italy. Security around the hotels and wedding venue has been tight as local residents and tourists voice their disapproval over travel and venue restrictions, as more and more high profile visitors pour into the city. Mr Bezos and Ms Sanchez landed in Venice via helicopter on Wednesday and took up residence in the luxury Aman hotel, where rooms with a view of the Grand Canal go for at least $7155 per night. The couple was spotted around dinner time as they left the hotel in a water taxi, waving at photographers and crowds, with Ms Sanchez blowing air kisses in a vintage Alexander McQueen dress. US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner have also been spotted shopping in Venice after arriving earlier in the week, American sporting superstar and NFL Hall of Famer Tom Brady is also in town and Hollywood megastar Leonardo Di Caprio has been trying to keep a low profile ahead of the big day. Numbers for the nuptials are expected to be around 200-250 in what has been dubbed the 'wedding of the century', with guests set to gather on Thursday evening in the cloisters of Madonna dell'Orto, a medieval church in the central area of Cannaregio that hosts masterpieces by 16th century painter Tintoretto. The city council has banned pedestrians and water traffic from the area from 4.30pm local time until midnight, blocking out protesters who have pledged to spoil the party. Mr Bezos and Ms Sanchez are set to exchange vows on Friday on the small island of San Giorgio, opposite the main St Mark's Square, in a ceremony which, according to a senior City Hall official, will have no legal status under Italian law. Some have speculated that the couple have already legally wed in the United States, sparing them from the bureaucracy associated with an Italian marriage, such as it having to take place in an approved venue and the local town hall needing to be notified in advance. Celebrations will conclude on Saturday with the main wedding bash to be held at one of the halls of the Arsenale, a vast former medieval shipyard turned into an art space in the eastern Castello district. The 'No Space for Bezos' movement is planning demonstrations against an event they see as a sell-off of Venice to the uber-wealthy while the needs of ordinary citizens are ignored — but not all the locals are hostile. Politicians, hoteliers and other residents say high-end events, rather than multitudes of low-spending daytrippers, are a better way to support the local economy, and dismiss the protesters as a fringe minority. 'We're not talking about hundreds or thousands of people, we're talking about a few dozen,' said Daniele Minotto, vice president of the Venetian Hoteliers Association. Davide Busato, an archaeologist behind the 'Yes Venice Can' pro-Bezos group, said billionaire tourism gives the city a chance to show off its specialities. 'The idea that a 'morality office' should decide who gets to marry in Venice is a disturbing concept, unworthy of a free city,' he wrote on Facebook. Venice has hosted scores of VIP weddings. US actor George Clooney and human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin tied the knot there in 2014, and Indian billionaires Vinita Agarwal and Muqit Teja did so in 2011, without significant disruptions. Mr Bezos, executive chair of e-commerce giant Amazon and No.4 on Forbes' billionaires list, got engaged to Sanchez in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to MacKenzie Scott. with AAP.
NDTV
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Beyonce, Bill Gates: Jeff Bezos-Lauren Sanchez Wedding Guestlist Revealed
Billionaire Jeff Bezos and his fiancee, former journalist Lauren Sanchez, are set to get married this weekend in Venice, Italy, at a gathering of roughly 200 close friends and family members. Prominent figures from Hollywood, business, and politics will gather in Venice to celebrate the multi-day wedding, which began on June 24. Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, are already in Italy. Among others, Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce and Jay-Z, are also expected to be in the Floating City for the mega wedding. Here is a list of celebrities likely to be at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's wedding in Italy: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner Kris Jenner and Corey Gamble Kim Kardashian Oprah Winfrey Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom Barbra Streisand Beyonce & Jay-Z Gayle King Veronica and Brian Grazer Eva Longoria and Jose Baston Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner Leonardo DiCaprio and Vittoria Ceretti Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg Lydia Kives and Michael Kives Mick Jagger Charissa Thompson Natasha Poonawalla Brooks Nader Elsa Marie Collins Bill Gates Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan Apart from Ivanka and her husband, Jared, Belgian fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg and her media tycoon husband, Barry Diller, are also in the city. Canadian lawyer Lydia Kives and investor Michael Kives were seen boarding a boat during arrivals, while Kris Jenner's beau Corey Gamble arrived solo for the event. Sanchez's ex-boyfriend and NFL icon, Tony Gonzalez, and his wife, October "Tobie" Gonzalez, are both expected to be present at the gala wedding. Leonardo DiCaprio and his Italian model girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti are also likely to attend the wedding, PEOPLE reported. Besides Hollywood A-listers, Mr Bezos and Ms Sanchez's family members, including their seven children from their previous marriages, will be at the gathering. Ms Sanchez has three children (Evan Whitesell, Ella Whitesell, and Nikko Gonzalez), while the Amazon founder has four. But not everyone is happy in Venice over the multi-day wedding. Residents and activists have voiced their disapproval of Mr Bezos and Ms Sanchez's extravagant wedding preparations, claiming they were disruptive to the city's ongoing fight against overtourism.
Telegraph
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Jeff Bezos to send Katy Perry, Gayle King and fiancee to space
Jeff Bezos, the billionaire Amazon tycoon, is sending the singer Katy Perry, broadcaster Gayle King and his fiancee Lauren Sanchez into space in the first all-female commercial space flight. Blue Origin, Mr Bezos's aerospace company, announced that the trio will blast off as part of a six-woman crew on its next space flight scheduled for spring 2025. Ms Sanchez, a former news anchor, is the one who 'brought the mission together,' according to Blue Origin. The space voyage is likely to blast off from Blue Origin's site in Van Horn, West Texas, which has been used for previous New Shepard launches and testing. Perry and her husband, Orlando Bloom are friends of Mr Bezos and his fiancee, and the couples were pictured sunning themselves last summer aboard the tech billionaire's yacht in Sicily. Speaking during her CBS morning show on Thursday, King said she consulted with her children and Oprah Winfrey, her close friend, before committing to the spaceflight. 'Once Kirby and Will and Oprah was fine with it, I was fine,' she said. 'I thought Oprah would say 'no, no'. She said, 'I think if you don't do it, when they all come back and you had the opportunity to do it, you will be kicking yourself.' She's right.' She compared her mixed emotions about the upcoming flight to having a baby. 'I don't know how to explain being terrified and excited at the same time. It's like how I felt about to deliver a baby,' she said. The launch marks the first all-female space flight since 1963, when Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova ventured into outer space on a solo mission. The six-person crew for the NS-31 mission will also include aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, feminist activist Amanda Nguyen and film producer Kerianne Flynn. The 11-minute space flight is the 11th human voyage for Blue Origin's New Shepard programme and the 31st in its history. So far, the program has flown 52 people above the Kármán line, 62 miles above the earth's surface, which is the internationally recognised boundary of space. During the flight aboard Blue Origin's autonomous, reusable shuttle, the celebrity crew will experience several minutes of weightlessness and witness 'life-changing views' of Earth, according to the company's website. There will be no pilots onboard the spacecraft. Mr Bezos has entered into a billionaire space race with Elon Musk's Space X and Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic. The three men are working to become the dominant carrier in space tourism. Ms Sanchez, the vice-chairwoman of the Bezos Earth Fund to fight climate change has long spoken about her plans to lead the first all-female commercial mission into space. 'She is honoured to lead a team of explorers on a mission that will challenge their perspectives of Earth, empower them to share their own stories, and create lasting impact that will inspire generations to come,' the company said in a statement. The voyage marks the latest venture into celebrity space flights by Blue Origin. Mr Bezos himself flew to space in July 2021 aboard the company's New Shepard rocket. In October that same year, Star Trek actor William Shatner became the oldest person to travel to space aged 90, aboard a Blue Origin Flight. Mr Shatner later revealed in his memoir that he did not enjoy the trip and said it filled him with 'overwhelming sadness'. 'The contrast between the vicious coldness of space and the warm nurturing of Earth below filled me with overwhelming sadness,' he wrote. 'My trip to space was supposed to be a celebration; instead, it felt like a funeral.' Shortly before Mr Bezos' space adventure, Richard Branson became the first space company founder to travel into outer space aboard his Virgin Galactic VSS Unity 22 shuttle.
