01-05-2025
Dublin boss sacked his fiancée after she found him on gay dating app
A woman who said she was sacked from her fiancé's business after she confronted him over his 'prolific casual homosexual encounters' has been awarded just under €100,000 in compensation.
The woman, who was not named to protect the couple's child, had made three complaints to the Workplace Relations Commission.
Adjudicator Patricia Owens said the woman had told the WRC that she worked in the recycling services business as company secretary, from December 2021 until September 2023. WRC Buildings, Dublin. Pic: Eamonn Farrell/
She stated that when her fiancé set up the business, he had actively encouraged her to leave her previous job and work for him.
Ms Owens noted: 'She further submitted that in August 2023, whilst on holiday together, the complainant discovered that her partner had downloaded the dating/casual sex app, Grindr, which is specifically orientated for the LGBTQ+ community.
'She submitted that it was clear to her that her partner was engaged in prolific casual homosexual encounters/liaisons.'
Ms Owens said the woman had found it 'very stressful' to see the messages on her fiancé's phone while they were on holiday, and told him she wanted to separate when they got back to Dublin.
She told the WRC that her partner had said he planned to undergo treatment for sex and other addictions, and that he wanted her to be involved. Pic: Getty Images
'She advised that she did not want to participate in the programme,' Ms Owens said. The woman said the man then asked her, by letter, to resign her position as company secretary and to return the company car.
'The complainant advised that she did not respond to that letter but that when she got up one morning, she realised that the car had been removed overnight from in front of her home,' Ms Owens said.
'She stated that some of her personal belongings were in the car. She was in a panic about having to get the children to school, and she advised that her mother, who is a pensioner, used some of her savings to purchase a car for the complainant.'
The woman said her salary was due to be paid in mid-November, but nothing went into her account.
'She stated that she had to contact social welfare and had to rely on support from Women's Aid and the St Vincent de Paul to provide for her and her children's basic needs,' Ms Owens said.
Ms Owens said the businessman had not attended the hearing of the case or made any attempt to explain his absence.
In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, she said she would uphold the woman's claim that she had been unfairly dismissed. Ms Owens said the women's loss of earnings equated to €63,000, and that the loss of the company car was worth €30,000.
With additional sums of compensation for the lack of contract and rest breaks, the total amount she was awarded came to €99,000
