Three west Cork women, one of whom was a key witness in the Ian Bailey libel action last year, claimed they were unfairly dismissed by a branch of Heatons Ltd in Bandon because of their efforts to join the trade union Mandate. Louise Geaney reports.
Ms Marie Farrell, Ms Caroline Burns and Ms Fiona O'Connell gave evidence yesterday at a hearing of the Employment Appeals Tribunal in Cork.
Ms Farrell was dismissed in January 2003, shortly after she made enquiries about employees joining Mandate.
In her evidence to the tribunal in April, the west Cork woman said she joined Heatons in Bandon in September 2002, and recalled a Heatons area manager telling her that they were delighted with her work as sales had exceeded expectations.
"The only thing I can come up with to explain my dismissal is that I was trying to set up Mandate in the store - I believe that's why I was sacked," she said.
Ms Farrell was a key witness in the Ian Bailey libel action last December, saying that she saw Mr Bailey at Kealfadda Bridge at 3 a.m. on the night that Frenchwoman Sophie Toscan du Plantier was murdered, something which Mr Bailey strongly refuted.
Yesterday Ms Fiona O'Connell, from Inishannon, and Ms Caroline Burns, from Bandon, claimed they were dismissed because of efforts to join the union.
The store denies the claim and argues that the dismissals were made because of poor work performance and attitude.
The tribunal heard that the manager, Mr Tom Coyne, told Ms O'Connell he had to let her go because her work had deteriorated and that she was talking to the customers. The issue of her chatting with customers had never arisen before, she said.
Ms Caroline Burns said management never had a problem with her work before her dismissal on February 28th, 2003.
All three employees said a colleague escorted them from the building on the day of their dismissal, under the direction of Mr Coyne.
They said they never saw nor received a copy of the firm's dismissal procedure.
"Our argument is that these dismissals took place to send a signal that membership of a union was something the firm frowned upon," Mr Matthew O'Callaghan of Mandate said.
The company told the hearing the store was suffering because of the employees' poor performance. Mr Coyne insisted he held meetings with the women to alert them to his concern. He said they didn't get a copy of the dismissal procedure because they were on a probation period.
Mr Peter Long of Heatons said 24 of its 32 stores were unionised and that the company recognised the union.
The hearing ended yesterday and a decision will be given early next year.