Group HR manager’s action against bookseller resolved

A HIGH COURT action brought by the group human resources manager with booksellers Eason against his employees has been resolved.

Earlier this month, Terry Duggan secured an interim High Court order restraining the company removing him from his post or appointing someone to a differently named position to what the company had described as a new position of “director of human resources and change management” which he had claimed was essentially his.

Yesterday at the High Court, following discussions between the parties, Mr Justice John MacMenamin was informed by Peter Ward, counsel for Mr Duggan, that the matter had been settled. However, no details of the settlement were revealed in open court.

Previously the court heard that Mr Duggan, aged 60, from Foxrock Avenue, Foxrock, Co Dublin, had been with Eason since 1987 and was head of personnel before being appointed group human resources manager in 2005.

He was paid some €100,000 annually, was married with financial commitments and had not planned to retire until aged 65.

Mr Duggan claimed that he an excellent working relationship with his superiors and problems arose only after Conor Whelan was appointed managing director of Eason in September 2009.

It was claimed that Mr Whelan had made clear he wanted to replace long-serving managers, including Mr Duggan. Issues had arisen with Mr Whelan over a number of matters, including Mr Whelan’s seeking to end Christmas bonuses for staff.

He also claimed at a meeting in January of this year that Mr Whelan effectively sought his removal and raised the issue of his retirement. This meeting followed a difficult year for Mr Duggan including a series of exchanges where Mr Whelan was verbally abusive to Mr Duggan, it was alleged.

The court also heard the company had denied Mr Duggan held the position of group human resources manager and denied a new position that it proposed to create essentially involved the same duties as were being carried out by Mr Duggan. The court heard that solicitors for Eason had said, in an email, that it intended to proceed with recruiting a director of human resources, that this would not affect Mr Duggan and involved different responsibilities but the tasks outlined were all matters in which Mr Duggan was intimately involved.