The High Court has reserved judgment on an application by seven care workers for orders preventing the HSE from terminating their employment.
The seven, several of whom work with troubled children in care, claim they were at all relevant times employed by the HSE despite it using agencies to deal with them so as to circumvent its internal recruitment embargo. Michael Conlon SC argued they were being “sidelined” and their jobs taken over by “official” HSE staff. The HSE denies the women are employees and contends it is a lawful and genuine redundancy programme.