HSE must pay €25k for gender discrimination

THE Health Service Executive has been ordered to pay €25,000 compensation to a staff member after it refused to extend her contract beyond the normal retirement age of 65.

The Equality Tribunal made the award to HSE employee Abbie Fitzgerald after ruling that the HSE had discriminated against her on grounds of gender.

Ms Fitzgerald, who worked as a multi-task attendant with the HSE from 1980 until her retirement on her 65th birthday in June 2007, claimed she had been treated unfairly on the basis of both her age and gender.