'When nature called': driver who said he had to urinate in bottle on delivery runs wins €15k

A van driver employed by an Italian food importer has been awarded €15,000 by the Workplace Relations Commission for breaches of working time legislation, though his constructive dismissal claim has been rejected. The complainant, based in Bray, County Wicklow, worked on delivery routes spanning counties including Mayo and Sligo from a warehouse in Newtownmountkennedy. He alleged he worked twelve to thirteen hours daily despite being contracted for eight hours at €100 per day, with insufficient breaks or rest periods during 600 to 900 kilometre journeys. The adjudicating officer found significant and longstanding working time breaches under the Organisation of Working Time Act, awarding €7,500 for inability to take breaks and a further €7,500 for exceeding the weekly maximum hours over a reference period. However, the officer determined the breaches did not constitute repudiatory breach of contract, as the complainant resigned without first raising concerns formally with his employer. Claims under the Unfair Dismissals Act, Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, and National Minimum Wage Act were rejected.