Former X employee wins ₹5 crore in unfair dismissal case
Gary Rooney, a former senior employee at X's European headquarters in Ireland, has been awarded a record €550,000 (around ₹5 crore) for unfair dismissal. The ruling was made by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), Ireland's employment tribunal. The WRC found that X had unjustly terminated Rooney's employment, when he failed to respond to an email from Elon Musk calling on staff to be "extremely hardcore."
Rooney's role and dismissal details
Rooney held a procurement role as the director of "source-to-pay" at X International's Dublin office during Musk's takeover. Following the acquisition, Musk sent an email to staff on November 16, 2022, outlining his vision for the future of the platform. The email also included a link for employees to confirm their willingness to stay with the company under new management. Rooney did not click "yes."
X's response and WRC's ruling
Three days later, he received an email from X acknowledging his decision to resign. Rooney, who was with the firm since 2013, was informed that he was deemed to have resigned on November 18, and that his access to X's systems were deactivated. However, Rooney denied any intention to resign or having seen any separation agreement. In response, the company argued that Rooney's failure to respond indicated his voluntary resignation. The WRC Adjudicator Michael MacNamee disagreed with this argument.
Breakdown of the dismissal award
The record €550,131 unfair dismissal award includes Rooney's lost remuneration of €350,131 from January 2023 to May 2024, and an estimated future loss of earnings amounting to €200,000. Barry Kenny, Rooney's solicitor, welcomed the decision and emphasized that it was not acceptable for large firms to treat employees in such a manner. X's press office responded to an email regarding the case with, "Busy now, please check back later."
