Courts / Limerick / Report

Awards totalling €80k for two workers forced into retirement

Summary

Patrick McInerney, a former employee of the Irish Wheelchair Association, was forced into retirement at 66 without objective justification, a decision upheld by the Workplace Relations Commission as age‑based discrimination. He received €31,830 in compensation. Separately, Michael O'Mahony, a counsellor at the University of Limerick, was terminated at 68 after a dispute over his employment status and a mandatory retirement policy. He was awarded €50,000 in compensation for discriminatory dismissal on grounds of age. Both cases were brought under the Employment Equality Act 1998, and the tribunal found the employers' actions to be discriminatory, ordering the respective payments. The awards total over €80,000 for the two workers. The tribunal's decisions were published in 2023.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Awards totalling €80k for two workers forced into retirement. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• September 2019 Other
• January 2021 Other
• August 2020 Other
• 2023-01-30 Publication

Why: Referring to the redundancy arrangement for one of Mr McInerney's colleagues and the transfer of another, Mr Baneham wrote: "Neither course was offered to the complainant because of his age. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

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Read the original CNI report