Tribunal awards €215,000 to man for unfair dismissal

A Dublin-based executive with a multinational electronics company who was dismissed just over two years ago has been awarded €215,000 by the Employment Appeals Tribunal.

The award, to Mr Derek Saunders, Marina Village, Malahide, Co Dublin, is one of the largest ever by the tribunal. It comprises €175,000 compensation for unfair dismissal and more than €40,000 in outstanding wages.

Mr Saunders had sued his employer, Solectron Europe BV, a global electronics manufacturing and supply chain services company, over his dismissal in October 2002.

He had been headhunted to join the company as business development director in 1998 and was later promoted to global accounts manager.

The company said it made Mr Saunders redundant after it closed its Dublin operation. It had no alternative position for him.

Mr Saunders said he had no connection with Solectron Ireland and had spent 60 per cent to 80 per cent of his time in the UK, the United States or Hong Kong. He had worked 80 to 90 hours per week and enjoyed working in a challenging environment.

The tribunal said the method used to dismiss Mr Saunders had involved subterfuge by his employer.

He had been summoned to a meeting in Dunfermline, Scotland, on the pretext that an account review was to be the subject matter, "and this subterfuge was persisted in. . . right up to the time of his dismissal".