Manager at shuttered Kildare clothes store wins redundancy

A MANAGER in a Newbridge clothing chain who was let go when the firm went belly-up in early summer of 2025, has been awarded her statutory redundancy at a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) ruling last month.

Emmajane Morris began managing the Born Clothing Store in the Whitewater Shopping Centre on 16 January 2023 but was informed her role “was now redundant” on 21 May 2025 when the clothing chain folded, closing 22 stores nationwide.

The case was heard in the WRC offices in Carlow before adjudication officer Ms Brid Deering, but only Ms Morris attending the hearing.

Ms Morris was entitled to statutory redundancy (two weeks pay for every year worked) but was told she would receive her weekly wage from 21 May for her four weeks of notice, which she confirmed.

Ms Deering however, asserted “the respondent (aka Born Clothing) acknowledged to the complainant (Ms Morris) that she was entitled to a redundancy payment, but despite considerable efforts to obtain the same, the complainant has yet to receive this payment”.

Ms Morris formally ended with the Revenue Service on 4 July, and on 24 July sent her completed RP77 form for (formal redundancy payment) to the respondent but received no reply whatsoever.

She found that “based on the uncontested evidence of the complainant, I find her employment was terminated by reason of redundancy under S7(2) of the Redundancy Payment Act 2022, and that the complainant is entitled to redundancy”.

As Ms Morris had worked for Elland Clothing – as the parent company of Born was known – for two years and four months, she was entitled to a redundancy lump sum of €3,222.85.