Hotel worker sacked after festive party row gets €25k

Bewleys Hotel at Dublin Airport has been ordered by the Employment Appeals Tribunal to pay a former worker who got into a confrontation at a work Christmas party €25,000 compensation for unfair dismissal.

John Graham, a courtesy bus driver transporting customers to and from the airport, was dismissed by the hotel almost a month after the incident on January 5.

The tribunal heard that the confrontation occurred between Mr Graham and another person WS, a barman, at the staff party. WS denied to the tribunal he provoked Mr Graham. He said he was unaware he had accidentally burned the other man with his cigarette and said he would have apologised if he had known. He confirmed that a confrontation ensued and that “there was two of us in it”. He was not disciplined, according to the tribunal.