IABA settle employment dispute with Bernard Dunne

By Stephen Bourke

The Irish Athletic Boxing Association has settled an employment rights dispute with its former high-performance director Bernard Dunne.

The deal was reached after last-minute talks at the Workplace Relations Commission's headquarters, where a public hearing into a statutory complaint by the former champion super bantamweight was set to open this afternoon.

"The legal teams have requested a brief deferral of commencing this hearing for reasons that will probably become clear later," adjudicating officer Pat Brady told the complainant, who appeared by video-link from China at 12.45pm.

"I'm currently in China so my time difference is quite large – I’m seven hours ahead," Mr Dunne told the adjudicator.

"I’m conscious of that, can you log out and log back in again?" the adjudicator asked.

"Bernard… I’m going to give you a phone call, it’s likely we’re going to defer this for about an hour," said the complainant’s barrister Seamus Collins BL, who appeared instructed by Kean’s Solicitors.

"Okay, go raibh maith agat," Mr Dunne said, before logging out.

"Blessed are the peacemakers. I was wondering how far we’d make it before using boxing metaphors," said adjudicating officer Pat Brady.

After an hour’s recess, the parties returned to the hearing room, where counsel for the boxing association Mark Harty SC said: "We have achieved a consensus."

"Has my benediction of the peacemakers brought you to a state of grace?" Mr Brady asked.

"We have achieved grace," Mr Harty said.

"A settlement has been reached," said Mr Collins.

A four-week adjournment for the implementation of the settlement agreement, with liberty to re-enter the matter, was granted.

Mr Brady said the WRC would close its file on 13th October by default in the