Twitter has been ordered to pay 550,000 euros ($607,000) in damages in Ireland for wrongfully firing a former senior executive, said to be the largest ever awarded in the country in such a case.
Ireland’s Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) ruled on the case after the social media site terminated the employment of a former senior executive, claiming that he had effectively resigned by refusing to agree new terms.
This was back in November 2022, shortly after billionaire Musk completed his acquisition of Twitter, which he then rebranded as X in a genius marketing move. As CEO at the time, he issued an ultimatum to all employees that they had to buy into his “hardcore” vision for the social media platform. Musk’s statement implied that if they didn’t, they would be fired.
“If you’re sure you want to be part of the new Twitter, click ‘yes’ at the link below,” Musk reportedly wrote, adding that any staff who don’t agree will be given three months’ severance pay.
According to the Irish Times, Twitter decided that a former employee, identified as Gary Rooney, had resigned because he had failed to tick a box. When he filed his grievance, Rooney claimed he had been asked to agree to a new, unspecified salary and terms within a day of the deadline.
According to the Guardian, Rooney received another email from the company three days later informing him that the company had acknowledged his decision to resign and accepted his offer of voluntary redundancy, but Rooney claims he had never seen or agreed to the offer.
Speaking at the hearing in Dublin, Lauren Wegman, Twitter’s senior director of people, was quoted as saying that the email was sent to 270 employees in Ireland, of whom 235 clicked “yes.” As for the remaining 35, she said “we have accepted their resignations.”
But according to the Irish Times, Wegman argued at the hearing that the pay or conditions of those who clicked “yes” had not actually changed and that no one could reasonably expect this to happen given the information in the emails.
But Rooney’s lawyers argued that accepting Twitter’s position that not ticking the box would mean resigning would be contrary to Irish employment law.
The WRC appears to agree, as adjudicator Michael McNamee said in a 72-page ruling, which has yet to be made public, that the decision not to click “yes” should not be considered to constitute an act of resignation and that 24 hours was not considered reasonable notice.
According to reports, Rooney was offered a severance package of 22,834 euros ($25,211) on Dec. 7, 2022, which he had to accept within two weeks or it would be cancelled. His employment officially ended on Dec. 18. He had been with the company for more than nine years.
The compensation that the WRC ordered Twitter to pay includes Rooney’s lost wages from January 2023 to May 2024, plus an estimated 200,000 euros ($221,000) in lost future wages.
When asked for a comment on the matter, Twitter responded, “We’re currently busy and will check back with you shortly.”
Earlier this week, it was reported that Twitter was being sued for more than $23 million in damages after the company allegedly failed to pay stock options owed to its former chairman.
Meanwhile, Twitter is facing legal action against members of the World Federation of Advertisers for not advertising on the site, and rival social media platform Blue Sky reported this week that it saw a surge in UK sign-ups following Musk’s controversial tweets about the recent riots in the UK. So Twitter is really basking in its glory at the moment.®