Latest news with #WRC
RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
Bra saleswoman wins €15,800 for constructive dismissal
A lingerie saleswoman who said she was forced to quit her job of nearly 20 years over the health impact of workplace stress due to a "toxic" work environment at a Dublin department store has won €15,800 for constructive dismissal. Karrin Breslin was awarded the sum on foot of a complaint under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 against Chantelle Lingerie Ltd, the operator of a concession in the lingerie department of the unidentified store. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) awarded Ms Breslin her full losses after ruling that the international lingerie brand repudiated her contract of employment by failing to address grievances about under-staffing and rostering while her health deteriorated over the course of two years. It was submitted on behalf of Ms Breslin – an employee of the brand since 2004 – that when the department store reopened in May 2021 following the Covid-19 lockdown, her section was down to 12 staff with just two full-time, compared with 10 full-timers out of 17 pre-pandemic. The tribunal heard Ms Breslin had moved from north Co Dublin to Co Wexford during the pandemic closure. She asked at that stage to be given a set working day of 9am to 5.30pm, she said. Her employer's response was that "this was not a request that could be granted given the opening hours of the shop and the need for a fair departmental roster", the tribunal was told. The tribunal was told that the department store, rather than the lingerie brand, was responsible for setting the roster governing Ms Breslin's working hours. "I feel my mental and physical health has deteriorated… I don't have a good work/life balance and it's going to get worse due to the late closing times coming back again," she wrote. Ms Breslin's case was that her job was made "overwhelming and physically hard" because of these issues and that she began to experience anxiety, low mood, high blood pressure and gastrointestinal problems "as a result of work-related stress". Following a medical absence in June 2022, Ms Breslin again wrote to her employer and set out that because the department was so "understaffed" that sales were being lost because customers were walking out without being served. Her employer's position was this was "a commercial point and not a personal grievance". Ms Breslin had seven periods of certified medical leave between January 2022 and the summer of 2023, the tribunal heard. In an exchange of emails with her employer during her fifth period of medical leave in June 2023, Ms Breslin said she believed her illness was "work-related". "There are major obstacles stopping me from doing a good job and this has been going on for gotten far worse in the last 4 months and definitely having a negative impact on my working life due to a stressful and sometimes toxic work environment," she wrote. In responding correspondence, she was told: "I am hoping you can get to the bottom of your sickness so you feel better," the WRC heard. The tribunal heard that Ms Breslin worked her last shift on 25 June 2023 and ultimately did not return to work before she tendered her resignation on 31 October that year. Chantelle's managing director, who gave evidence, said she had assumed Ms Breslin would return to her job when she got better and that her resignation "was pleasant and made no mention of issues or other employees' behaviour". When it was put to her in cross-examination that Ms Breslin had told her she was "burned out", the managing director said she "understood there was an issue" of work-related stress but that she "did not relate this" to Ms Breslin's resignation. Asked what she had done to respond to the staffing issues raised by Ms Breslin, the managing director said these were "a matter for the shop". In her decision, adjudicator Patricia Owens wrote Ms Breslin had been raising "serious concerns for her physical and mental health" starting in October 2021. While the managing director made efforts to resolve "minor issues" for Ms Breslin around medical certs and annual leave, "more complex matters" around roster problems and staff shortages "were never addressed", Ms Owens wrote. "I consider that the respondent failed in its duty of care to the complainant to protect her health, safety and wellbeing while at work," Ms Owens wrote. She considered the firm's failure to respond adequately to amount to "repudiation of contract", upholding Ms Breslin's unfair dismissal claim. Ms Owens awarded the claimant €15,800, her full losses for five months' unemployment. A further complaint of disability discrimination under the Employment Equality Act was ruled out of time by the Commission. Ms Breslin was represented by Aisling Irish of Parker Law Solicitors in the case, while human resources consultancy Tom Smyth and Associates appeared for the employer.
Malaysian Reserve
16 hours ago
- Automotive
- Malaysian Reserve
Hankook Tire Pushes the Pace at WRC Delfi Rally Estonia 2025
20 special stages delivered fierce competition, wrapping up Delfi Rally Estonia with success Dynapro R213 proved its all-terrain reliability in harsh rally conditions All eyes on Finland: Round 9 promises high-speed drama from July 31 to August 3 TARTU, Estonia, July 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Round 8 of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Delfi Rally Estonia – exclusively supplied with rally tires by global leading tire company Hankook Tire & Technology (Hankook Tire) – wrapped up in success on July 20 across Tartu and the southern region of Estonia. Delfi Rally Estonia, known for its fast-paced nature, features a dynamic mix of flat-out straights through the southern Estonian forests and narrow, technical corners. Drivers tackled 20 special stages (SS) spanning approximately 308 kilometers, delivering high-stakes competition from start to finish. This round stood out as one of the fastest in the WRC calendar, with average speeds exceeding 120 km/h across gravel stages. Drivers charged through loose surfaces, strung with back-to-back jumps and rugged terrain, demanding precise control and unwavering focus. Under such unforgiving conditions, the consistency and reliability of the rally tires proved decisive in determining the race outcome. Hankook Tire supplied its extreme all-terrain rally tire, the 'Dynapro R213', to support stable driving performance in the face of diverse and demanding rally conditions. Built on durability, the 'Dynapro R213' once again demonstrated top-tier engineering on the global motorsports stage—delivering impressive shock absorption across gravel as well as outstanding grip and precise steering even at high speeds. In the WRC1 class, Toyota GAZOO Racing World Rally Team driver Oliver Solberg secured his maiden career victory, with Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team's Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville completing the podium in second and third, respectively. With this result, Tänak moved to the top of the Driver's Championship standings, edging Toyota's Elfyn Evans by just one point. Round 9 of the 2025 WRC, Secto Rally Finland, is set to take place from July 31 to August 3 in Jyväskylä, Finland. Hankook Tire is poised to deliver optimal performance once again, providing unwavering support to help drivers push their limits in the rally known for its ultra high-speed stages, blind crests, and a series of long airborne jumps. In preparation for the WRC initiative, Hankook Tire has conducted over 2,000 km of real-world testing across more than eight countries in collaboration with the FIA and global manufacturers. Leveraging these results, the company developed high-performance rally tires officially certified by the FIA. Starting from the 2025 season, Hankook Tire has been the exclusive tire supplier for all WRC classes (WRC1, WRC2, WRC3, Junior WRC) under a three-year contract, further strengthening the premium stature of the 'Hankook' brand on the global stage. Photo – – View original content:
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Irish Independent
‘You may as well be out on the main street' – WRC hearing abandoned as adjudicator says witness can't testify from moving train
A Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) adjudicator has abandoned an employment rights hearing today after deciding it was not 'satisfactory' that a defence witness had dialled in from a moving train. The South East Technological University Student Union (SETUSU) is subject to a complaint under the Payment of Wages Act 1991 by worker Kate Rellis, which was called on for hearing earlier via videoconference, but quickly adjourned.
Belfast Telegraph
a day ago
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
I know where my car shines on fast rallies... now it's up to me to commit more and lift bar: Josh McErlean
The M-Sport Ford points-scorer made 10th place his own for much of the Tartu-based meeting before gaining a spot prior to the end-of-rally Power Stage when Takamoto Katsuta retired. A solid weekend's work was capped off by Kilrea man McErlean once again getting the better of the more experienced Gregoire Munster in the second of the three works-supported Pumas. The only blot in his copybook came on Saturday's 10.9-mile 'Kanepi' test when the 26-year-old failed to scrub off enough speed as he approached a junction and went off the road into a ditch. Thankfully, quick-thinking – and a heavy right foot – spared his blushes. 'It was a super-fast rally and really enjoyable to drive, and okay, although we were cleaning the road for most of it on the Saturday and Sunday, we now have our brain dialled into these fast roads, how the car works and how and where we can commit,' said McErlean, who now turns his attention to Rally Finland, which will run from July 31 to August 3. 'I think overall, we can be happy with our pace compared to Gregoire, and we now have a quick turnaround for the next round in Finland where we hope we can step it up again. 'We have the experience now – we have done a fast rally in a Rally1 car – so it is all good preparation. 'We did not make any big mistakes, which is good, and that will only help our confidence going to Finland – a place where, if you are low on confidence, it is not ideal. The feeling is okay. Now, we just have to start committing more and trusting the process.' McErlean hopes his performance in the Baltic state over the course of the gravel test is a sign he has got his maiden Rally1 campaign back on track after consecutive opening-day retirements at Rally Italia Sardegna and Acropolis Rally Greece respectively. 'It was nice to settle down a bit after the last two rallies where a couple of mistakes kept us out of the points. It is definitely nice to make it to the finish here in Estonia,' he added. Oliver Solberg, on his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 debut, stunned the WRC with a sensational victory. Despite only being notified of the drive a fortnight previously – and having had the benefit of limited pre-event testing – the 23-year-old secured a breakthrough win by 25.2 seconds.
Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Kuwait Times
Solberg secures first WRC win in Estonia
KAARIKU: Winners Swedish Oliver Solberg (right) and his British co-driver Elliott Edmondson celebrate on the podium after winning the Rally Estonia. – AFP TARTU: Sweden's Oliver Solberg followed in his world champion father's footsteps as he claimed his first WRC victory in the Rally of Estonia on Sunday. The 23-year-old is the son of 2003 WRC champion Petter Solberg and was making his first appearance in the elite class since 2022. Solberg made the most of the opportunity handed to him by Toyota, who gave him the chance to drive one of their cars for this rally in the absence of eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier. The Swede charged into the lead on Friday and never relinquished it on the high-speed gravel roads. He finished 25.2 seconds ahead of home favorite and 2019 world champion Ott Tanak. Reigning champion Thierry Neuville of Belgium came in third place. 'After everything, so many years trying and trying and trying and dreaming, and me and (co-driver) Elliott (Edmondson) finally made it,' said Solberg. 'I just want to say thank you to Toyota, to the test team who helped me get so comfortable, for all the help this weekend from this beautiful, beautiful team. I've never had such a good time in my life.' Tanak replaced Elfyn Evans at the top of the WRC standings, moving a point clear of the Welsh driver who ended the weekend in sixth place. – AFP
