This article is from page 15 of the 2008-08-26 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 15 JPG
A FORMER Clare women’s sup- port group worker has been awarded €20,400 after claiming she was dis- missed and replaced by someone on half her wage.
Avril De Carteret, Druminalough, Peterswell, County Galway took her claim for unfair dismissal against Clare Women’s Network Limited, Clonroad Business Park, Ennis to the Employment Appeals Tribunal.
The tribunal heard that the claim- ant was involved in the organisation which provides support for women, from it’s inception in 1992. She in1- tially did voluntary work for the or- ganisation and was first on the pay- roll in 1999 for about two to three hours per week. This increased over the years to 15 hours per week in 2002. She was one of three part-time workers sharing the running of the organisation. In 2002 the claimant’s job description was formalised. Her job title was office manager/project administrator. It was mainly ad- ministrative work with some co- ordinating responsibilities.
In 2005 a review of the work and structures of the organisation took place and Ms de Carteret was made
redundant. The management com- mittee offered her the job of part- time administrator on 15 hours per week. The claimant was also to be invited to apply for the position of full-time co-ordinator. On Septem- ber 22, 2006 the management com- mittee offered the claimant either the equivalent of six months loss of sal- ary for the hours she would be losing if she took up the position of admin- istrator or, alternatively, redundancy.
She took redundancy and was paid €10,000 redundancy payment. The position of part-time administrator for 17.5 hours per week was eventu- ally advertised at a lower hourly rate than the claimant had been getting.
She applied for the position but, although she was short-listed and in- terviewed, she did not get the job.
Ms de Carteret told the tribunal she felt a situation had been “concocted” to get rid of her and to get a junior worker to do her job for much less money.
The tribunal determined unani- mously that Ms deCarteret was un- fairly dismissed.
A witness for Women’s Aid “did not respond in the negative” to the suggestion that the organisation had “got rid of” her.