Ex-pharma firm chief gets €295k over sacking

THE former head of a Dublin-based pharmaceutical company has been awarded almost €300,000 for wrongful dismissal — one of the largest awards ever made by the Employment Appeals Tribunal.

Eurodrug, a pharmaceutical wholesale firm based in Santry was ordered to pay €295,000 compensation to its former managing director, Michael Fitzpatrick, over the manner in which it fired him in 2009.

Mr Fitzpatrick of Offington Park, Sutton, established Eurodrug in 2004 before selling it to its current British parent in February 2006, although he agreed to remain on as managing director.

The tribunal heard that a British-based director of Eurodrug’s parent company carried out a review of its Irish business in June 2009 which led to his recommendation to make Mr Fitzpatrick redundant.

He explained that it was conducted as a cost-saving measure following a period when the company had suffered a downturn in its business.

Under cross-examination, the director admitted that he had not considered any other method of reducing costs in Eurodrug. He rejected that Mr Fitzpatrick had been ambushed after he was summoned to a meeting in England in June 2009 at which he was informed that he was being let go.

He was also forced to admit that Eurodrug, which employs 25 staff, had hired 10 extra people since Mr Fitzpatrick was made redundant.

Mr Fitzpatrick told the tribunal how he was “horrified and flabbergasted” at being informed he was being made redundant.

The tribunal ruled that Eurodrug’s decision to fire him was “unfair and unreasonable” on several different grounds including the fact that the company had not considered any alternative cost-cutting measures.