A prominent hotel and golf resort in Co Meath has been ordered to pay nearly €35,000 in compensation to a former head chef after requiring him to work excessive hours without granting him the rest periods he was legally entitled to, reports The Mirror.
The Workplace Relations Commission determined that the Knightsbrook Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort in Trim, Co Meath, violated the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 in relation to the hours worked by its head chef, Mark Alcock.
Mr Alcock began working at the hotel in September 2019 and was promoted to head chef in June 2022, earning an annual salary of €70,000, reports The Mirror.
He brought the complaint forward following his resignation from the hotel in November 2023.
Knights Tower Trading Limited, the company running the hotel, denied breaching employment laws, arguing that the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 did not apply because Mr Alcock had full control over his schedule.
The hotel’s managing director told the WRC that as head chef, Mr Alcock was responsible for scheduling staff in the kitchen, including his own shifts, reports The Mirror.
He added that the hotel’s general manager was tasked with monitoring the hours Mr Alcock worked each week.
The managing director also claimed that the head chef would not have been granted approval for overtime.
However, Mr Alcock testified that even though he scheduled staff—including himself—his working hours were more influenced by business demands than by personal choice.
Under cross-examination by the hotel’s legal counsel, Lorna Madden BL, Mr Alcock rejected the suggestion that he could leave after eight hours if numerous guests were still present and five functions were in progress. He said doing so would mean his department would not meet its targets, making the day unviable for him and the hotel, reports The Mirror.
In her decision, WRC adjudication officer Christina Ryan found the hotel’s claim that Mr Alcock had full autonomy over his hours to be unconvincing.
Ms Ryan concluded that the operational requirements of the hotel dictated Mr Alcock’s working hours.
She accepted Mr Alcock’s testimony that he had not been allowed his entitled daily and weekly rest periods, reports The Mirror.
Ms Ryan expressed dissatisfaction with the hotel’s documentation, stating it failed to prove compliance with the relevant legislation.
She noted that Mr Alcock missed his statutory breaks on several occasions and that the hotel should have been aware of this, given that its general manager was reviewing his hours weekly, reports The Mirror.
Mr Alcock was awarded €5,833—equivalent to one month’s salary—for the hotel’s failure to provide the mandatory 11 consecutive hours of rest within each 24-hour period.
He received an additional €5,833 due to not receiving a 24-hour rest period within every seven-day timeframe.
Ms Ryan also said Mr Alcock had given credible evidence that he regularly worked more than his contracted 39 hours per week, and even exceeded the legal weekly limit of 48 hours outlined in the Act, reports The Mirror.
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