Mother seeks damages from employer over ‘discrimination’ due to pregnancy

A Dublin mother, who claimed in court she was fired after becoming pregnant, has asked a judge to award her damages against her former employer on the grounds of discriminatory treatment.

Jacqueline Gannon, a former secretary with MD Property Management Ltd, alleged in the Circuit Civil Court she had been dismissed less than 18 months after joining the company and only a week after returning from maternity leave.

Barrister James Phillips, counsel for the company, told Judge Alison Lindsay that Ms Gannon had been hired by company director Mark Dunleavy in July 2010 for six months on a part-time basis but had been kept on because of extra work in the company. He had not given her a contract.