Recent Cases

Woman wins maternity dispute for Unfair Dismissal

A woman has been awarded € 20,000 in compensation after a bridal wear firm refused to allow her to return to work following maternity leave. The Equality Tribunal ruled the firm had unfairly dismissed the woman on the ground of gender by not permitting her to return to work after her maternity leave, pursuant to Section 8(6) of the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2008. She was awarded EUR 20,000 in compensation, which was said to "reflect the seriousness the Tribunal and other employment bodies attach to women's maternity rights."

Fire-fighter awarded EUR 5,000

An English fire-fighter who claimed he experienced racial harassment while working for an Irish Fire Brigade has been awarded EUR 5,000 by an Equality Tribunal. The fire-fighter filed a complaint alleging that his employer failed to protect him after he received an anonymous racist note in his locker. The tribunal awarded him EUR 5,000 compensation after it found that the chief fire officer's failure to insist on an investigation into the anonymous note was in contravention of the obligations placed on staff members under their anti-harassment policy.