Manager sprayed fire extinguisher and perfume on employee

A SERVICE manager sprayed perfume on a male colleague and told him: “Let’s see how you explain that when you get home.”

The incident was one of a number of alleged bullying incidents documented by the general operative to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) where the worker has successfully sued for unfair dismissal.

In the case, the WRC has ordered the man’s former employer, a winter services firm, to pay him €26,000 after finding that the man was unfairly dismissed two days after he raised bullying concerns.

The general operative told the WRC that the service manager would refer to him as “his bitch”.

The worker also alleged at the WRC that the service manager turned on a fire extinguisher on him while he was working under a car.

He alleged that the fire extinguisher incident was later posted on Facebook and it became known to members of a motor cycle club that he, the service manager and other staff were members of.

The worker alleged that when the president of the club witnessed the video, the service manager was expelled from the club.

On September 7, the worker said that he could take no more and left his workplace.

He emailed the managing director to make a formal bullying complaint against the service manager and finished his email by saying he loved the job and that he should not have to put up with what he had been putting up with from the service manager.

The worker was asked to attend a meeting with the managing director on September 9.

The service manager was there and the employee was presented with a list of grievances. He left the meeting due to the absence of any fair procedures. Later that day he was dismissed with immediate effect.

In his findings, WRC Adjudication Officer Gerry Rooney said instead of dealing with concerns, the employer “chose to proceed to summarily dismiss the complainant”.

The man was unfairly dismissed two days after he had raised a bullying complaint