Ex-principal of private school awarded over €60,000 in redundancy and unpaid wages
Seán McCárthaigh
The former principal of a fee-paying primary school in Cork which closed its doors last year has been awarded over €60,000 in redundancy payments and unpaid wages by the Workplace Relations Commission.
Susan Dwayne, who worked at Rockboro National School for over 33 years, brought a case against the Committee of Rockboro School Association after her employment was terminated last November.
The private school, which was founded in 1969, did not reopen after the summer of 2023 following a drop in enrolment after the Covid-19 pandemic.
The school, which was located on Boreenmanna Road in Cork, charged annual fees of €5,000 per pupil.
The WRC heard that Ms Dwane was employed as principal and teacher at the school since joining it in October 1990 and she earned an annual salary of approximately €50,000.
She complained that she was not paid her statutory redundancy on the cessation of her employment as well as not being paid her monthly salary on various dates contrary to employment legislation.
The school committee’s chairperson, Bridget O’Sullivan, told a hearing of the WRC in July that they wished it would be noted that the members of the Rockboro School Association were parents and volunteers.
While the school accepted that there was no dispute regarding Ms Dwane’s claims about unpaid wages, it understood she was to be paid €20,000 in lieu of her statutory redundancy entitlement.
Ms O’Sullivan said the current situation at the school did not reflect the immense service and value it had provided over the past 50 years nor the value it would continue to bring to the community.
She stressed that the situation that Rockboro found itself in did not honour the sacrifice and efforts of those who had volunteered, fundraised and worked to purchase the land to establish the first non-denominational, co-educational school in the area.
The WRC heard comprehensive details about the financial difficulties affecting the school before its closure.
Ms O’Sullivan described how she and other committee members had strenuously sought to keep Rockboro operational but their efforts were in vain.
She underlined that any award directed by the WRC would be very difficult for Rockboro School Association to pay in the circumstances.
In evidence, Ms Dwane said she first heard indirectly via an e-mail to parents in August 2023 that the school was not reopening for the academic year starting the following month.
It was subsequently confirmed to her directly about the school closing and she was informed that her position was being made redundant.
Ms Dwane said her contract entitled her to a two-month notice period and she was fully entitled to be paid up to the date of the termination of her employment which was November 7, 2023.
She denied that there was ever an agreement for her to settle for a payment of €20,000 in lieu of her statutory redundancy entitlement.
WRC adjudication officer Thomas O’Driscoll said he preferred the complainant’s efforts on the issue as the school has been unable to provide any written document to support its claim.
The WRC awarded the former principal €40,356 as a redundancy payment and €20,098 in unpaid wages dating over several months from April 2023.
