In 1992, the Labour Court recommended reinstating a Hallmark Cards Ireland Limited worker after finding dismissal too severe given the circumstantial evidence about a guillotine blade and the worker’s good employment record. The recommendation was signed on 18 May 1992.
The worker accepted taking timber from the premises without permission but denied involvement with the blade. Hallmark Cards Ireland Limited argued the circumstances linked the worker to its removal. The Irish Print Union argued there was no evidence linking the worker to the blade and that taking wood did not justify dismissal. The Court recommended suspension from 13 May 1991 to 30 May 1992, reinstatement from 2 June 1992 and six months’ probation. It also recommended retaining the matter on the worker’s employment record for three years, with full restoration if probation was satisfactory.