Courts / Ireland / Report

Recovering alcoholic accused colleagues of "taunting" him by leaving pint glasses in canteen

Summary

A factory worker who is a recovering alcoholic brought a discrimination claim to the Workplace Relations Commission, alleging that colleagues had taunted him by leaving beer bottles and pint glasses around the workplace. He said he was suspended for allegedly smelling of drink after a spillage incident on 17 September 2019, and that he was later transferred to other duties. The employer argued the bottles were litter from a nearby nightclub and that the worker was sent home without pay for health and safety reasons under the company's alcohol and drugs policy, not suspended. The tribunal found the worker's evidence inconsistent and concluded that he had not been discriminated against or harassed on the grounds of disability, dismissing the complaint. The decision was fully anonymised. The case involved a dispute over a spillage, verbal abuse, and allegations of taunting by colleagues. The tribunal noted the worker had resigned in December 2019.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Recovering alcoholic accused colleagues of "taunting" him by leaving pint glasses in canteen. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• 17 September 2019 Incident
• 2023-04-27 Publication

Why: The dispute arose because of a spillage of liquid at the factory on 17 September 2019, with both the worker and his supervisor blaming each other for what happened. CNI source report

Topics

Drugs Stage Hearing Or Decision

Read the original CNI report