An adjudication hearing of the Workplace Relations Commission was halted when the respondent’s witness joined the video from a busy railway.
The adjudication officers in Ireland, which are equivalent to employment tribunal judges in Britain, said that it would not be acceptable to continue the hearing because of background noise.
Yesterday, the videoconference hearing in Kate Rellis’s case was adjourned. The complaint was filed under the Payment of Wages Act of 1991 against South East Technological University Student Union.
SETUSU President Erin Foley joined the adjudication from a car while SETUSU Welfare Officer Lucy Kate Bosch dialed in from a moving rail.
RTE reported adjudication officer Gaye cunningham saying: “While we claim that our hearings take place in a private setting, our hearings do not take place in public streets or in transit.” “When you turn off the mute button, I hear other passengers on the train.”
I apologize for the noise. Bosch explained that he was currently traveling to Galway on business.
Cunningham stated: “I hear a lot background noise.” In these circumstances, I cannot continue an hearing.
Cunningham said to the SETUSU officers, “You could’ve applied for a delay.” If someone isn’t available to participate in an hearing in a setting that I would call safe, I cannot continue.
She added, “It is not acceptable that people ride in a noisy train.”
You could as well be on the main road. On the next date, you must be in an office or a setting that is relatively safe. Please let the respondent know that you must be in an office setting. The adjudicator replied, “We’ll resume as quickly as possible.”
She announced that the hearing would be adjourned as soon as possible.
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