Two Roma women lose discrimination case against Dunnes Stores

The Workplace Relations Commission rejected two Roma women's discrimination claim against Dunnes Stores.Picture: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie

Two Roma women have had their discrimination claim against Dunnes Stores rejected by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).

The women claimed they were refused service at a Dublin city centre store because of their Roma ethnicity.

In a statement against Dunnes Stores, one of the women — who had been barred from the shop for allegedly begging from customers coming into the store — pointed out that Irish beggars were not barred.

The WRC was told: “The first complainant has previously observed persons of Irish ethnicity begging outside the shop and subsequently being allowed into the store unhindered.”

Dunnes Stores denied the claims against it and said the older of the two women was asked to leave the store because she had been previously barred for begging from customers.

The two women were represented in the case against Dunnes Stores by a barrister instructed by FLAC.

“FLAC’s clients are disappointed with the outcome," a spokesperson said.

"There is no doubt the Roma women, in this case, would never have been able to pursue their complaints without the assistance of FLAC.

"FLAC uses its limited resources to assist a limited number of clients in the WRC process. While the outcome is disappointing, we commend our clients for bringing the case.”

Dunnes Stores denied the claims made by the 

Barred

The complainants, who are described as Romanian nationals, allege the discrimination occurred at Dunnes Stores on Talbot Street store in Dublin’s city centre on November 2, 2019.

The complainants are an aunt and her niece, who was a 16-year-old transition year student at the time.

The first complainant, who was in the shop to buy groceries with her niece, picked up some fresh food and was making her way to the self-service cashier to pay for the goods when she says she was blocked by a security guard who took the food off her, blocked her entrance to the tills, grabbed her arm and brought her to the entrance of the shop.

She claims her niece was also blocked by the security guard from purchasing groceries, and then the two women were told they were barred from the store.

The complainants said that when they asked why they were barred, the security guard gave no reason.

However, the WRC adjudication officer said the WRC was satisfied on the balance of probabilities that the two complainants were “not discriminated against on grounds of their Roma ethnicity”.

The WRC official said: 

“Based on the evidence heard, I find that (the first complainant) was not served as she had been barred a number of months earlier for begging customers in the store to buy food for her.”

The adjudication officer also noted: “I am cognizant that when testimony was taken at the hearing, there were inconsistencies in the complainant's evidence.”

The WRC also pointed out that while the niece had said her aunt was given no reason for refusal of service, she said later in her testimony that the Dunnes Stores security guard advised her at the time that she was barred due to begging from customers.