She worked season after season — for 20 years.
Then the farm shut down — and tried to claim she had no right to redundancy.
In a landmark ruling, the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has awarded statutory redundancy for two decades of seasonal work to Teresa Kane, a poultry farm worker from Carlow.
Ms Kane worked on a seasonal basis for JR Boning (Ireland) Ltd since August 2004, often putting in 39-hour weeks and sometimes working seven days. Despite this, when the farm shut down in March 2024, she wasn’t told. She only found out months later — and received no communication from her employer.
But Teresa didn’t back down. She brought her case to the WRC, where she produced a handbook from 2004 — a key piece of evidence after her employer claimed records only dated back to 2018.
The company argued that her employment ended every year and that she wasn’t eligible for redundancy. But the WRC adjudicator disagreed, stating:
“She was effectively a regular employee… although [she] did not work for several months each year due to the nature of the business.”
Importantly, the decision clarified that seasonal gaps don’t break continuity if the nature of the job includes regular seasonal work. The WRC recognised Teresa’s 20 years of continuous seasonal employment and granted her a statutory redundancy payment, subject to PRSI confirmation.
Key Takeaways for Workers:
- You can still qualify for redundancy even if you work seasonally or part-time.
- Gaps in work due to the seasonal nature of the business may not break continuous service.
- Keeping old contracts or handbooks can be essential in proving long-term employment history.
- If your employer fails to communicate about workplace closures or redundancies, you may still have legal recourse.
📩 Think you’ve been unfairly denied redundancy?
Our team at Employment Matters is here to help. We’ll review your situation and advise if you have a valid case — no matter how long ago your employment began.
📖 Read more WRC case insights and workplace rights updates on our blog.
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