The employee who refused to pick up their boss from the airport on their day off was fired.

A Brazilian mother of two living in Ireland, who worked as an undocumented cleaner, claimed she was fired for refusing to pick up her former employer from the airport on her day off.

During the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) hearing held today, Claudia Borjas alleged that Team Weaver Limited, based in Roscommon, had not paid her for more than a month prior to her dismissal last January.

Borjas claimed that the company manager had also "cut payments" for other undocumented workers and told the hearing officer Emile Daly that they could not bring the matter to the WRC due to their immigration status.

Borjas explained that she entered Ireland on a tourist visa in 2023 and began working illegally for a cleaning company at a horse racing track in August. She stated that she discussed the possibility of obtaining a work permit with the company manager Dean Weaver.

While answering Daly's questions, Borjas said she had no contract with the company, that basic working conditions were not established, and that she was not given annual leave. She stated that she worked every day, took leave every other Sunday, and did not work on Christmas Day.

In her testimony to the WRC, she described providing cleaning services for a hospital, cinema, and newspaper building for the company, as well as cleaning windows at nursing homes on weekends. She was earning 12 euros per hour.

She said that in December 2023, Weaver asked her to pick him up from the airport, but she refused because she was not working and was afraid of being caught by the police due to not having car insurance.

She claimed that a dispute arose between them, and when Weaver asked her about the payment owed to her, he acted "very aggressively."

Despite this, she continued to work until January 2 and stated that her wages for 4-5 weeks during this period were not paid. She said her employment was terminated after Weaver sent a message stating that she and her husband were "undocumented" and that they had "defrauded" him.

Borjas explained to the WRC that she left Brazil "out of necessity" because she has two young children and "had to find something better for them."

"I am aware of the seriousness of a work visa in Ireland, but I came hoping to obtain a work permit or visa because I did not want to remain undocumented in the country," she said.

Despite being undocumented in the country, she claimed she obtained a Personal Public Service (PPS) number. She told the WRC, "As far as I know, obtaining a PPS [number] is very easy," explaining that she did this with the help of a lawyer who "usually does this kind of work."

No representative from Team Weaver Limited attended the hearing.

Daly stated that he needed to review two higher court cases to determine whether he had the authority to assess Borjas's complaint due to her being an undocumented worker. Expressing "concerns" about jurisdiction, Daly indicated that he would evaluate the matter in light of the Hussein High Court ruling and the Quinn High Court ruling, and that a decision regarding Borjas's complaint would be made in due course.