Courts / Kerry / Report
Bus Eireann ordered to pay Traveller women discriminated against on local trip
Summary
The Workplace Relations Commission ordered Bus Éireann to pay €1,250 in compensation to Elizabeth Burke and Annie Burke for discrimination. The adjudicating officer upheld Equal Status Act complaints alleging the women, members of the Traveller community, were subjected to aggressive behaviour by driver Richard Robinson after a bus pass incident in Killarney. Ms. Burke claimed she accidentally used her husband's pass, while Ms. Burke stated the driver threatened to call Gardaí. Mr. Robinson denied discrimination, claiming he was respectful and would not know if a passenger was Traveller. Adjudicator David James Murphy found this statement damaged the driver's credibility, noting that distinct accents are common in the Traveller community and that a frontline worker in the south-west would likely be aware of this. The officer accepted the complainants' accounts over the driver's. Elizabeth Burke was awarded €500, and Annie Burke was awarded €750, with the latter sum reflecting that she was the party shouted at. Karen Tess of Mannix & Co LLP represented the applicants, while Hugh Hannon appeared for Bus Éireann. The matter was concluded with this final decision and compensation order.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Bus Eireann ordered to pay Traveller women discriminated against on local trip. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision
When:
- 26 June Hearing Or Sentence
- 2023-11-24 Publication
Why: The order was on foot of Equal Status Act complaints by the women, Elizabeth Burke and Annie Burke, against Bus Éireann, alleging that they were discriminated against because they were members of the Traveller Community. CNI source report
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