The Complainant was paid a Christmas bonus every year of €500. On the 5th of December 2018, he handed in his notice to the Respondent who then failed to pay his Christmas bonus for that year. The Complainant believed that the Respondent held off paying staff Christmas bonuses on purpose, as all other employees were afforded their Christmas bonus afterwards.

The Respondent’s believed that the bonus was not due to the Complainant as he terminated his employment prior to the maturation of the bonus scheme and was therefore ineligible for the bonus, as he did not meet the criteria. The Respondent also added that the Complainant did not engage with the Respondent in relation to the complaint and did not exhaust the internal procedures.

The Adjudication Officer was satisfied that the Complainant was due the Christmas bonus in December 2018. The Respondent attempted to unilaterally change the Complainant’s terms and conditions, which the Adjudication Officer rejected.

Therefore, the AO held that the Complainant’s claim was well founded and ordered direct payment of €500 gross, together an additional 2 weeks' wages totalling €1,170.
https://www.workplacerelations.ie/en/cases/2019/november/%20adj-00019936.html