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 absence of further communication from the parties.
"I took the liberty of bringing down the relevant form," Mr Brady said.
The withdrawal papers were signed in the presence of the adjudicator by Mr Collins for the complainant and then by Mr Harty for the respondent.
"Well done everybody. I met my doctor at a sports event recently – he said I hope not to see you soon. This is one of those situations where it’s not an insult to say I hope not to see you. We stand technically adjourned," Mr Brady said.
No particulars of Mr Dunne’s complaint against the Irish Athletic Boxing Association Ltd, nor the exact statute under which it was lodged were made public at hearing.
The former world champion at bantamweight, who retired from his professional career in 2010, was the national amateur association’s high-performance director until his resignation in May last year.
He was appointed to the same position by the Indian boxing.
