Charity to gain from Ballina factory guilty of incorrect employment permits
Judge Fiona Lydon.
A judge has directed a Ballina meat factory to pay €3,000 to charity after they were caught with five foreign national employees who did not have the correct employment permits.
Dunleavy Meats, Coonealcauraun, Ballina, pleaded guilty at the local district court to the five offences.
During an earlier hearing in March, Donna Hardiman, investigating inspector with the Workplace Relations Commission, told the court she made an unannounced inspection of Dunleavy’s Meats on February 18, 2020.
She met with management, received records from the Human Resources department, and conducted employee interviews.
She identified five employees who were working without employment permits or documentation on the date in question.
Ms Hardiman told Judge Fiona Lydon last week that the permits had expired in November 2018, August 2019 and in December 2019.
She explained the permits are renewed on an annual basis with a cost of €1,500 per employee.
The company, which employs 130 to 150 people in Ballina, has no previous convictions and was fully cooperative with the inspector.
Mr Loftus told Judge Fiona Lydon his client has now installed a passport validation machine for more than €1,000 to check that documents are legitimate.
Judge Lydon noted the company pleaded guilty and had a good record previously.
“I think I will apply the Probation Act and impose a very high fine where in these circumstances these contributions for the permits ought to be paid on an annual basis,” she added.
The company was directed to pay the money to St Vincent de Paul on or before December 12.
