A financial services company in Dublin has sacked 13 employees for sending what it described as 'inappropriate' emails.
The emails are believed to have had pornographic content.
The Merrill Lynch group employs around 600 people in two offices in Dublin.
On Monday, 20 members of staff were asked to stay away from work as part of an inquiry into the inappropriate use of email.
13 employees were sacked yesterday as a result of that inquiry.
The remaining seven were giving written warnings and are due to return to work on Monday.
The company has refused to comment on the content of the emails but they are believed to have been pornographic.
A statement from the firm said all employees were advised to carefully follow strict policies on electronic communication.
It said it wanted to create the right environment for its employees and did not condone the inappropriate use of the firm's systems.
