Employment Equality and Harassment
1. Introduction Section 14A of the Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2021 prohibits harassment in the workplace on any of the nine protected grounds. The section also imposes a positive obligation on employers to prevent harassment. Failure in either respect exposes the employer to liability. This article sets out the framework for harassment claims, the
Read MoreEmployment Equality and Gender
1. Introduction Gender discrimination remains, decades after the introduction of equality legislation, a significant source of complaints to the WRC. Cases arise across the spectrum of employment: in recruitment, in pay, in promotion, in conditions of work, in disciplinary processes, and in dismissal. This article sets out the framework for gender discrimination claims, the operation
Read MoreEmployment Equality and Status
1. Introduction The family status ground under Section 6(2)(c) of the Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2015 protects employees from discrimination by reason of their status as the parent of a child, the parent or resident primary carer of a person with a disability, or a similar caring responsibility. This article considers the scope of
Read MoreEmployment Equality and Equal Pay
1. Introduction Equal pay claims under the Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2015 require the complainant to demonstrate that they perform “like work” with a comparator of a different gender (under Section 19) or other protected characteristic (under Section 29), and that they receive less remuneration for that work. Equal pay is one of the
Read MoreEmployment Equality and Disability
1. Introduction Disability discrimination is one of the most frequently litigated grounds under the Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2021. Section 2 of the 1998 Acts defines disability broadly to include physical, mental, intellectual and sensory impairments, both present and historical, including conditions in remission. This article sets out the framework for disability discrimination claims,
Read MoreEmployment Equality and Direct Discrimination
1. Introduction Direct discrimination is the most straightforward form of unlawful conduct under the Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2015. It occurs where a person is treated less favourably than another person is, has been or would be treated in a comparable situation, by reason of one of the nine protected characteristics. Direct discrimination cannot,
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Employment Equality and Autism
1. Introduction Autism spectrum conditions are recognised as disabilities for the purposes of the Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2021. The WRC has, in a series of recent decisions, considered the application of the Section 16 reasonable accommodation duty to employees with autism, particularly in relation to communication, sensory sensitivity, and structured working arrangements. This
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Employment Equality and Age
1. Introduction Age discrimination claims under Section 6(2)(f) of the Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2021 have become increasingly significant as the Irish workforce ages. Claims typically arise in recruitment, in promotion decisions, in compulsory retirement situations, and in selection for redundancy. This article sets out the framework for age discrimination claims, the operation of
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Sick Notes and Proving Disability
1. Introduction The case of Louis O’Neill v City Break Apartments Limited City Break Apartments (ADJ-00042764) examines the circumstances under which an Adjudication Officer will construe medical certificates as providing a sufficient proof, from an employee to an employer, that they were suffering a disability, in accordance with the definition within the relevant legislation, creating
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Remote Working and Reasonable Accommodation
1. Introduction The case of Sarah Treacy v Centz Retail Holdings Ltd. (ADJ-00037025) examines the circumstances under which an employer will be required to consider remote working, as a form of reasonable accommodation, in respect of an employee who may be suffering a disability. Sarah Treacy (the Complainant) brought a complaint under section 77 of
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