There was a remarkable unfair dismissal story in the Irish Times yesterday.
It was a High Court decision which reinstated a school principal in his position in a Gaelscoil that he was instrumental in founding in Gorey. And perhaps more importantly has restored the good name and reputation of Mr Aodhagán Ó Suird.
The principal was unfairly dismissed from his job some 11 years ago and brought a claim to the WRC. The finding at the WRC was that he was unfairly dismissed.
The board of management of the school appealed the decision to the Labour Court and the Labour Court came to the same conclusion.
The board then appealed it to the High Court who also found that the man was unfairly dismissed, and he had been the victim of some appalling treatment in the whole affair.
The judge laid a lot of the blame at the door of the new chairperson of the board of management who had ‘animus’ against the dismissed principal, according to the Labour Court.
It is not for me to second guess the reasoning behind the board’s decision to go to the High Court after losing at both the WRC and Labour Court.
But I wonder on what basis they did so and did they weigh up carefully the question of costs if they were unsuccessful.
And did they weight up the chances of succeeding. Presumably they did.
The court has yet do decide what final order it is going to make in the case.