A Ryanair worker was within his rights to report safety concerns directly to the Irish Aviation Authority and was unfairly dismissed from the company, the Employment Appeals Tribunal has found. Mr Kevin Carroll, Wicklow, was appealing a recommendation of the rights commissioner.
The tribunal was told Mr Carroll performed pre-flight inspections and hangar maintenance. In October 1998 he questioned procedures concerning the upgrading of an aircraft certified by an engineer and went directly to the IAA. The IAA subsequently confirmed Ryanair's certification. In July 1999, Mr Carroll questioned the manner in which the quality department in Ryanair had dealt with an accident.
The tribunal summarised the events that occurred from November to December 1999. Mr Carroll abandoned a shift early without reporting it to his superior. He then applied to the rights commissioner for relief under the Unfair Dismissal Acts. He failed to appear at a disciplinary meeting and he stated he intended to continue reporting complaints to external public bodies rather than using the internal complaints structure. The tribunal found these were not substantial grounds to justify the dismissal.