Revenue officer gets €60k for age discrimination

AN assistant principal officer with the Revenue Commissioners was awarded €60,000 because of age discrimination, according to the Equality Tribunal’s annual report for 2008.

In the report, amounts totalling €858,116 were awarded in compensation where discrimination was found.

The average award was €11,755 compared with €10,216 in 2007.

The highest award was €60,000, given to an executive officer with Revenue who claimed he was the victim of age discrimination when he was not promoted to the acting position of assistant principal when a colleague went on maternity leave. A much younger colleague, who had served in the Civil Service for a shorter period, was given the job.

A total of €56,315 was paid out to a woman on a claim of gender discrimination. The woman, who was employed as a customer service assistant, had discussed with her manager the possibility of promotion prior to going on maternity leave. While on leave she applied for promotion, however, on her return the manager in question did not pursue the matter. She stated that on her return to work she was left with very little to do and the position to which she had hoped to be promoted was eventually filled by an external candidate, who was single, had no children and no previous relevant experience.

In another case a company finance department worker was awarded €30,000 when the tribunal found that her redundancy dismissal, while seven months pregnant, was prima facie evidence of discrimination which the company did not rebut.

The equality officer also found that the whole period of pregnancy and maternity constitutes a special protected period under EU law.

A lone female employee in a printing company team of 11 male colleagues was awarded €15,000 for sexual harassment and €10,000 for the effects of the discrimination inflicted for not being promoted.

Ulster Bank was found to have discriminated against a long-time customer aged over 65, when it refused her a car loan. The bank was ordered to pay €2,000.

Eyre Square Hotel in Galway hotel was found to have discriminated against two people who organised a social event for the Galway gay community. The hotel cancelled the event abruptly and tore down posters for the event. The equality officer awarded the complainants €1,500 each.

In the case of Mr Ciarán McMahon and Bridal Heaven Ltd in Dublin, the complainant accompanied his fiancée to the store to shop for a wedding dress. On arrival, he was refused entry by a shop assistant who said that no men were allowed in. He was awarded €1,500.