Kenmare Park faces €90k dismissal bill

THE luxury Kenmare Park Hotel is facing a potential bill of €90,000 after the Labour Court recommended it should pay a former manager to settle an unfair dismissals claim.

The Labour Court recommendation came after the hotel manager initiated an action on August 13 last after he was not retained in his senior position.

The manager claimed, during a September 28 Labour Court hearing, that he was specifically head-hunted for the role of the hotel’s general manager.

The court heard that after roughly 11 weeks in the position he was subsequently, and without warning, dismissed from his position by the hotel’s Managing Director John Brennan.

It was the claimant’s case that he had moved to the Kenmare hotel on the understanding that he had a 36 month contract of employment.

Solicitors for the Kenmare Park pointed in court that the contract of employment unequivocally provided that either party could terminate the contract by giving written notice during the probationary period.

The hotel maintain that this was precisely what they did.

The Park Hotel argue that the manager involved was on a probationary period and the hotel was fully within its rights not to retain him.

The Labour Court took issue with the circumstances in which the manager had his employment terminated and found that “the procedures adopted in the termination of the claimant’s employment were seriously flawed.”

The Court has recommended a payment of €90,000 to the former manager in full settlement of his claim.

This recommendation is non binding on the hotel which is understood to be taking further legal advice on the matter.

The Kenmare Park Hotel