Twitter, now rebranded as X, has been ordered to pay former employee Gary Rooney €550,000 (roughly Rs 50 million) following an unfair dismissal lawsuit. The ruling, handed down by the Workplace Relations Commission in Ireland, is the largest compensation award ever given by the commission, Fortune reports. Rooney, who had worked at Twitter’s Irish branch since 2013, was fired in December 2022 following Elon Musk’s acquisition of the social media platform.
The circumstances that led to the dismissal
Shortly after acquiring Twitter in November 2022, Elon Musk sent a company-wide email demanding that employees commit to working “long hours and at high intensity” or face being fired and three months’ severance pay. Employees, including Looney, were asked to decide within a day whether to accept the new working conditions by clicking “yes.”
“If you’re sure you want to be part of the new Twitter, please click ‘Yes’ at the link below,” Musk’s email said, adding that anyone who doesn’t comply will receive three months’ severance pay.
Conflict
Twitter (now X) argued that Rooney had voluntarily resigned after not clicking “yes” to Musk’s ultimatum, but the Irish Workplace Relations Commission rejected that argument, finding that Rooney’s dismissal was unfair and ordering him to pay a record amount in compensation.
Rooney’s lawyer, Barry Kenny, emphasised the seriousness of the case, saying: “Neither Musk, nor any major corporation in this country or jurisdiction, can be allowed to treat their employees in this way. This record-breaking award reflects the seriousness and seriousness of this case.”
background
Tesla billionaire Elon Musk bought Twitter Inc. for $44 billion in October 2022. After the acquisition, Musk fired nearly half of the company’s employees and gave the remaining employees an ultimatum, which led to Looney’s firing.