Manufacturer must pay €10k over 'absolutist' face mask policy in 'unprecedented' case

A car parts manufacturer in Sligo Town has been ordered to pay €10,000 to a worker with an anxiety disorder following a discrimination finding by the Workplace Relations Commission. The adjudicating officer found that G. Bruss Gmbh Dichtungstechnik, which employs around two hundred people on the Finiskiln Road, failed to reasonably accommodate the complainant when it implemented a mandatory face mask policy during the Covid-19 pandemic. The complainant provided a medical certificate confirming she could not wear face coverings due to her condition, but the company declined to accept it or forward it to its occupational health doctor. The adjudicator described the case as unprecedented, noting that unlike other mask-policy discrimination cases, medical evidence of disability was established and the employer's failure to provide reasonable accommodation was clearly demonstrated. The company had maintained its position was grounded in public health concerns and denied discrimination. The order includes compensation for loss of earnings.