Former chef wins case against Galway pub and restaurant
The dismissal occurred shortly after she had messaged management to request a personal day due to mental health difficulties
A gastropub in Galway has been ordered to pay almost €4,500 in compensation to a former chef who was dismissed without explanation, as well as being denied statutory rest breaks and a written contract of employment.
Hattie Romer had worked for Chanath and Slanco Limited, which operated The Field in Gort, for more than a year when she was dismissed without explanation in August 2025, the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) was told.
The dismissal occurred shortly after she had messaged management to request a personal day due to mental health difficulties. She received a response telling her to attend work because it was expected to be busy.
When Ms Romer attended work as scheduled on August 17, she was instructed to leave the premises without explanation. She told the WRC that no meaningful discussion took place and she was simply told to leave.
She subsequently sought to have a conversation about what had occurred and raise concerns about her employment, but the discussion became heated and there was a “brief altercation” with another chef, she said.
Following this incident, her employer failed to contact her or provide clarification regarding her employment status or engage in any meaningful communication, Ms Romer told the WRC.
She later attended The Field to provide a medical cert and collect her payslip, but management refused to have a discussion or provide a written contract, leading her to submit a complaint to the WRC on August 22.
The respondent company failed to attend an adjudication hearing of the WRC, with a solicitor sending correspondence stating that the firm had ceased trading on December 31, 2025, seeking a postponement.
In her decision, WRC adjudication officer Monica Brennan accepted the uncontested evidence of Ms Romer. She said the dismissal had been unfair and awarded compensation of €2,352 based on the four weeks of financial loss incurred until Ms Romer found alternative employment.
She also found complaints under the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 and the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994 to be well-founded, as Ms Romer had been denied statutory rest breaks during shifts of up to ten hours, and awarded a further €2,000 in compensation