€25,000 and an apology for teacher

A TEACHER who was awarded the largest payout of €127,000 in an equality discrimination case will get €25,000 after accepting an apology from the school.

The Equality Tribunal awarded the money to Margaret McGinn last June, including €117,000 for victimisation. The case arose from her being asked a gender discriminatory question at an interview for the principal’s job at St Anthony’s Boys’ School in Kilcoole, Co Wicklow, in 2001.

The school appealed the ruling and the award to the Labour Court which approved a settlement under which the school agreed to pay Ms McGinn €25,000 and issue an apology, with an undertaking she will not be victimised again.

The Equality Tribunal heard a member of the interview board asked Ms McGinn if it would be a problem to have a woman principal as a role model, considering so few men worked in education. The 48-year-old teacher also claimed the chair of the school board and the interview board told her and colleagues in the staff room it would not be appropriate to appoint her as principal of an all-boys’ school.