A 27-year community worker who said she was going to be fired after removing a pair of knit socks that were supposed to be discarded was accused of stealing and fired; she was granted €15,000 for unjust dismissal, reports RTE.
Geraldine O’Donnell, a worker, filed a case against St. Munchin’s Community Centre in Limerick under the Unfair Dismissals Act of 1977. The Workplace Relations Commission decided to reward her. The decision was announced today.
When Ms. O’Donnell discovered the socks on some boxes in the center’s reception area one November 2022, she claimed to have taken them, believing they were about to be thrown out, reports RTE.
That following day, she added, Linda Ledger, the chief executive officer of the institution, approached her and inquired about the missing socks.
The complainant claimed to have taken them, and that as a result of her egregious wrongdoing, she was suspended right away and eventually fired, reports RTE.
Ms. O’Donnell clarified that she would be retiring in January 2024 after working as a community worker for around 27 years with a “unblemished” record.
She said she “couldn’t believe” she was being fired and that she “might only get a warning.”
At a June 2023 hearing, Ms. O’Donnell stated that her age—65 at the time—made it “almost impossible” for her to find new job, reports RTE.
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