Woman claims unfair dismissal from Thornton’s

A woman has claimed she was unfairly dismissed from award-winning Thornton’s Restaurant in Dublin for being pregnant.

Chef Kevin Thornton, whose restaurant had a Michelin star for two decades until this year, owns and runs the restaurant with his wife and business partner Muriel Thornton.

Aisling Neidhard, who worked in the office of the restaurant in the Fitzwilliam Hotel, claims Ms Thornton asked during her job interview if as a newlywed she planned to have children soon.

Ms Thornton strongly denied she asked that question during the interview at the Employment Appeals Tribunal on Thursday.

Ms Thornton told the hearing Ms Neidhard was made redundant in March 2014 as the business was suffering financial difficulties at the time.

She said she interviewed Ms Neidhard for a sales, marketing and office manager role in 2013, in which Ms Neidhard was unsuccessful.

However, Ms Thornton said she employed Ms Neidhard on temporary contract from September 25th, 2013 to November 16th, 2013, while waiting for the role being filled.

Ms Thornton said Ms Neidhard a “very good worker” and was kept on to help the new person settle into their sales, marketing and office role, and then to cover honeymoon leave in January.

She said after a meeting with her accountant in February 2014, she met with the restaurant manager Marita Pinkert and head chef Alan Woods to identify positions to make redundant.

Ms Thornton said she told Ms Neidhard she was “sorry” she had to make her position redundant due to financial difficulties on March 4th, 2014.

In the afternoon, Ms Neidhard told the tribunal she had “jumped at the chance” to take the initial temporary contract in the then Michelin-starred restaurant in September 2013.

She said before the contract finished, she was asked to return to work after her holiday to Lisbon in November, which she had previously booked at the end of her original contract.

“They said I was doing a great job,” she said.

Ms Neidhard said she had understood that she was a full-time employee.

Three-month scan

She said in early January she discovered she was pregnant but would wait until her three-month scan with the doctor before she told her employer.

Ms Neidhard said she suffered strong morning sickness and Ms Thornton had become concerned she had a stomach bug and could not work near the kitchen.

She said although she was “only a couple of weeks pregnant”, she told Ms Thornton.

Ms Neidhard said Ms Thornton gave her a hug, said “congratulations” and was “genuinely happy”.

Ms Neidhard said she was asked to attend a meeting with Ms Thornton on March 4th, 2014, in the public bar of the building.

She said she did not have any idea what would be dismissed at the meeting.

“Nothing was said to me before being handed the letter. I was shocked and very upset,” she said.

“I asked ‘why my position? Is it something I’ve done?’”

Ms Neidhard said she was told “no”,that she was a good worker and the redundancies were because of the company’s financial difficulties.

“I have no doubt it was because I was pregnant,” she said.

“Business was doing well, I was doing a great job, there was no other reason.”

It was the second and final hearing of the case and a determination is expected from the panel in the coming weeks.