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Worker left 'in limbo' over return to work from maternity leave awarded €20k

Summary

A medical secretary, Veronica Makunike, who had been on maternity leave and then in a state of uncertainty for almost a year, secured €20,000 in compensation from the Mary Street Medical Centre after a Workplace Relations Commission adjudicator found she had been penalised for asserting her rights as a pregnant worker. The case centred on a secret recording of a phone call with her former manager, which the adjudicator said had "deteriorated into a frank exchange of views." The manager's notes were deemed biased against Makunike, and the tribunal concluded that the employer's actions – including offering only half her previous hours, withholding a Christmas bonus, and refusing to engage a mediator – constituted adverse treatment in reaction to her protected maternity status. The tribunal ruled that Makunike had been denied a realistic return to work and ordered the clinic to pay her €20,000, roughly 18 months' salary.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Worker left 'in limbo' over return to work from maternity leave awarded €20k. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• November 2021 Other
• 2 April 2021 Other
• December 2021 Other
• May 2022 Other
• April 2021 Other
• Christmas Other
• 2023-11-28 Publication

Why: The partner said told the WRC she didn't engage a mediator because she wanted to "de-escalate the stress" and bringing in an outside party was "not the preferred option" In his decision, Mr Clinton wrote that Ms Makunike was too late in lodging her complaint for him to make a ruling on allegations of discrimination prior to April 2021 around remote work, the hours given on her return, and the Christmas bonus issue in 2021. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

Read the original CNI report