Crushell & Co l Specialist Workplace Solicitors

12/08/2026

What is the Workplace Relations Commission?

In this video, we explain what the tribunal does, how it does it, and the ways in which it protects workers' rights.

Crushell & Co is a specialist firm advising on the application of l...

10/07/2026

In this article, we examine how compensation for an employment dispute or litigation is taxed on foot of a settlement agreement under Irish law and Revenue Guidelines. A settlement agreement is a contract between two parties confirming that no dispute remains between them. In the employment context, it most commonly arises where an employment relationship has broken down and a financial payment is offered in return for the employee waiving their rights to pursue claims, including claims before the Workplace Relations Commission (the “WRC”), the Labour Court or the civil courts. While such agreements are often approached as commercial compromises designed to avoid litigation, their real significance lies in how the financial elements are treated for tax purposes. The value of any settlement is ultimately determined not by the headline figure, but by how Revenue characterises the payment.

In this article we examine how the compensation payable on foot of a settlement agreement is taxed under Irish law, with a particular focus on those arising from employment disputes or litigation.

25/06/2026

Salesman who said industry rumour mill made him "damaged goods" in wake of "no-fault" firing wins €40,000. Mr Joyce, who said he was earning over €160,000 at Ambu, spent over 10 months out of work after what he called his "unceremonious dismissal" as territory manager for its urology and ear, nose and throat products in Ireland.

A salesman who said an industry "rumour mill" made him "damaged goods" after he was unfairly dismissed by an international medical devices firm has won nearly €40,000.

22/06/2026

At its core, the Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Act 2025 introduces a new statutory right: employees whose contracts impose a retirement age below the State pension age of 66 may formally notify their employer that they do not consent to retire at that point. This represents a departure from the previous position, where contractual retirement clauses—most commonly fixed at age 65—operated with relatively limited challenge in practice.

From an employee perspective, the most immediate effect is the introduction of genuine choice. Workers are not required to remain in employment beyond their contractual retirement age, but critically, they are no longer compelled to leave solely because of it. This addresses a long-standing issue whereby employees could find themselves forced out of the workforce before becoming eligible for the State pension, with an immediate financial impact.

More significantly, the Act reshapes the legal framework governing retirement decisions. Once an employee invokes their right to refuse retirement, an employer cannot simply rely on the existence of a contractual clause. Any decision to enforce retirement must now satisfy a higher threshold, requiring objective and reasonable justification based on a legitimate aim and supported by proportionate means. In practice, this aligns retirement decisions more closely with age discrimination principles and increases the evidential burden on employers.

19/06/2026

A transgender childcare worker who was sacked from her role after offering an 11-year-old child “a free kiss” as a prize during a game has had her gender discrimination claim dismissed by the Labour Court. The respondent strongly rejected any suggestion that the complainant was subjected to discrimination, less favourable treatment, or termination of employment on the basis of gender identity or any other protected ground. The respondent’s position was that the complainant’s employment was not continued following a probationary assessment due to concerns regarding professional judgement, safeguarding awareness, and overall suitability for work within a childcare setting. It was submitted that disciplinary procedures were never invoked and that the decision not to continue employment was lawful, proportionate, and unrelated to gender identity. The respondent emphasised that the complainant had been recruited with full knowledge of their gender identity and maintained that this characteristic was never a factor in any employment-related decision.

A transgender childcare worker who was sacked from her role after offering an 11-year-old child “a free kiss” as a prize during a game has had her gender

17/06/2026

A Dublin takeaway restaurant that refused to allow a Muslim employee to wear her hijab at work has been ordered to pay compensation of over €30,000 for religious discrimination and other breaches of employment legislation, including unfair dismissal.

The Workplace Relations Commission ruled that Beauty and Beef Limited had discriminated against Hajar Aqqa, who worked as a counter assistant, in breach of the Employment Equality Act 1998 on grounds of gender, race and religion, for which she was awarded €13,000.

The WRC said the company had failed to provide any objective or legitimate reason to forbid the wearing of the hijab.

The WRC also found she had been unfairly dismissed after two months in the job in March 2024 when she complained that she was being paid below the national minimum wage.

The complainant, who comes from Morocco, claimed her employer had described her home country as “a sh*thole” and said he did not like people from ...

16/05/2026

In one of these two cases, the son (represented by Crushell & Co l Specialist Workplace Solicitors) was awarded €19,500 because his investigation opened with an ambushed, recorded meeting with no advance notice of the allegations, whereas the father's claim failed because his investigation opened by letter with the allegations and supporting documentation set out in writing... same employer, same allegations of misconduct, different solicitors, opposite outcomes turning entirely on how each investigation began.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/veteran-construction-manager-sacked-over-industrial-scale-use-of-firms-equipment-to-build-sons-house-loses-claim/a613820812.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawR1HyZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe1C6L8lZ9sJ_jI1ZJSygQ3W31MCjb4HMwasVcNUffo-DVwv0HUXzKNwa0fyo_aem_IFeh0KZ5Wwp5eQ9DVDa2wQ

A manager who was sacked after 45 years at the Murphy construction group when the firm learned its machines, staff and materials were used to build a house for his son has lost his claim for unfair dismissal.

29/04/2026

A former senior manager at a multinational pharma firm says she was told she could reassure her staff in Ireland they were “safe” when job cuts were announced – only to find her own role was on the line a week later, the WRC was told. Counsel for the complainant, Thea Kennedy, instructed by Crushell & Co, put it to Mr O’Brien in cross-examination that her client would say she was told “Ireland would be safe” when the redundancies were announced.

Senior manager lost her €90,000-a-year job after decade at firm

24/04/2026

A senior civil servant with a visual impairment has won €30,000 for disability discrimination after it took his department's IT team over a decade to give him a suitable work laptop.

Assistant principal officer Paul Hill said in a complaint to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) that he was made to feel a "nuisance", a "troublemaker" and "an inconvenience" at the Department of Social Protection for seeking disability supports to help him do his work.

The Department has now been found in breach of the Employment Equality Act 1998 for failure to provide Mr Hill with reasonable accommodation at work from 2012 to 2024.

A senior civil servant with a visual impairment has won €30,000 for disability discrimination after it took his department's IT team over a decade to give him a suitable work laptop.

09/04/2026

A worker has been denied compensation after claiming "significant personal distress, embarrassment and reputational damage" because her line manager attended her home when she failed to present for work.

A worker who slept through her alarm for a 7pm shift and was awakened by her boss with the help of her landlord has been denied compensation for the "distress