Kildare pizza chef takes case against former employer
Photo for illustrative purposes only
A pizza chef has been awarded €813.65 by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) over public holiday pay after a dispute with his former employer.
The case involved Sukru Hinc and Firestone Pizza Limited, which operates pizza cafés in several locations in Kildare.
Mr Hinc claimed he was owed €1,000 for extra hours worked, €4,000 in lieu of notice, and additional payments for annual leave and public holidays after his employment was terminated in October 2025.
According to the WRC decision, Mr Hinc worked as a chef in the company’s pizza café in Ballymore Eustace and was paid €1,000 gross per week. The parties disputed the exact hours worked, with Mr Hinc claiming he worked up to 60 hours per week after moving to another café in Ardclough, while the company maintained he worked no more than 42 hours per week.
Evidence presented at the hearing included WhatsApp messages in which Mr Hinc requested additional payment for longer hours worked from September 2025 onwards. The company’s managing director responded that he would “have a look at it”.
However, the adjudication officer found there was no agreement in place for overtime pay and therefore the additional wages claimed were not “properly payable” under the Payment of Wages Act.
The WRC also rejected Mr Hinc’s claims for annual leave and notice pay. The decision found that he had already received the holiday pay to which he was entitled and accepted the employer’s evidence that he had been dismissed for gross misconduct, meaning he was not entitled to notice pay.
However, the adjudication officer ruled that Mr Hinc was entitled to payment for five public holidays that occurred during his six months of employment, including Easter Monday, the May, June and August bank holidays, and the October 2025 public holiday. The WRC determined that this amounted to one week’s pay, or €1,000 gross.
Because compensation under the Payment of Wages Act must be paid as a net amount, the WRC directed Firestone Pizza Limited to pay Mr Hinc €813.65.
