Former chef Mohammed Younis was vindicated in a unanimous Supreme Court judgment on Thursday (25th June), which upheld a 2011 Rights Commissioner decision – endorsed by the Labour Court – to award him €92,634.42 in unpaid wages and compensation for seven years work in a Clondalkin restaurant.

A 2012 High Court judgment overturned the award on the grounds that an undocumented worker cannot have a valid contract. The Supreme Court has reversed this decision.

Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) spokesperson Gráinne O’Toole said: “Mr Younis has spent the last six years fighting for his rights, and we are overjoyed that the Supreme Court has ruled in his favour at last. He should never have had to endure such exploitation and the theft of his earnings by his employer. In the course of his fight for justice, he has changed the law and made Ireland a better place for all workers.”