Court to find health board contravened equality law

A EUROPEAN court is expected to rule this week that the North Western Health Board (NWHB) breached EU legislation by reducing a female employee’s pay because she was absent from work with a pregnancy-related illness.

The decision by the European Court of Justice on Thursday is expected to end a five-year battle by Margaret McKenna to prove that she was sexually discriminated against by the NWHB due to the way it applied its sick leave scheme.

A preliminary ruling issued by the Luxembourg-based court last year indicated that it will find the health board acted in contravention of Irish and EU equality laws.