Unfairly dismissed principal who endured ‘terrible injustice’ over 11 years must be reinstated, judge rulesCliona Kimber SC, for the board of management, said it is prepared to put Mr Ó Suird back on the payroll immediately and to pay arrears of his salary and pension entitlements since 2015.The board has “no answer” to what should happen to him now, that is an industrial relations matter and the court should not “micro-manage” it, she said.
The board’s difficulty is the “broader systemic” effect of the court’s judgment and how to manage the two principals, she said. Noting the school will reopen within a few weeks, she said a stay would reduce this “pressure cooker” situation. The judge heard more submissions on Monday concerning what final orders he should make arising from his judgment earlier this month dismissing the board’s appeal against a Labour Court finding that Mr Ó Suird was unfairly dismissed and should be re-engaged.
Ms Kimber said the High Court case was an appeal by the board from a Labour Court decision on a point of law and costs of such appeals are awarded only in exceptional circumstance. The board is prepared to pay Mr Ó Suird’s High Court costs on the normal level but not on a solicitor-client basis, she said.In his judgment two weeks ago, the judge said Mr Ó Suird endured “terrible injustice” over more than 11 years due to “disastrous and unreasonable misjudgements” by the board.