Abtran ordered to grant Julie Murphy force majeure leave and pay €400

The Workplace Relations Commission found that Abtran wrongly denied Julie Murphy force majeure leave for a day she stayed home to care for her sick children. The decision was dated 4 June 2024 and ordered Abtran to grant the leave day and pay €400 compensation. Murphy said her children had chicken pox and she could not arrange alternative childcare. Abtran argued that chicken pox was a routine illness and that her presence was not indispensable, offering annual or unpaid leave instead. The adjudicator found the company minimised the sudden illness and applied an overly subjective barrier. Force majeure leave applies when an urgent family reason makes an employee’s immediate presence indispensable; the decision said this should be assessed based on the circumstances at the time.