Abbie Walsh awarded €28,000 for pregnancy discrimination

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Abbie Walsh was awarded €28,000 after the Workplace Relations Commission upheld her pregnancy discrimination complaint against Soraghan Auto Retail Ltd, trading as Sandyford Motor Centre; the decision was reported on 23 November 2023.

The adjudicator found the company became aware of Walsh’s pregnancy after she told her former sales director, who knew or ought to have known he had to pass on the information. The decision also said the dealership certainly knew by the time a new line manager called her in to dismiss her.

The adjudicator rejected the company’s account that Walsh was expected to sell 60 cars in her first quarter, finding that expectation made no sense for a new employee on probation. She also found the employer’s evidence about performance reviews unsatisfactory and lacking candour, with no documentary evidence of the conversations described.

Walsh had been dismissed on 8 May 2023 after an absence linked to morning sickness. The €28,000 award was to compensate her for discriminatory treatment and deter future discrimination.