Courts / Ireland / Report
Traveller workers who blew whistle on 'deeply dysfunctional' community organisation win 2.5 years pay
2023-11-30
Hearing Or Decision
Summary
Two low‑paid Traveller workers, each earning €84 a week as part‑time community welfare officers, were awarded nearly €11,000 each by the Workplace Relations Commission for whistleblower penalisation and discrimination. The Commission upheld complaints under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 and the Employment Equality Act 1998 after the workers had written letters about the organisation's management, safety protocols during Covid‑19, and lack of phone and broadband allowances. They claimed they were removed from a conference call on 28 September 2021 and denied access to later meetings, while non‑Traveller staff were not removed. In January 2022 they received notices of alleged misconduct, which they denied. An external investigation in April 2022 confirmed many of their concerns, describing the organisation as deeply dysfunctional. The adjudicator awarded each woman €6,552 for whistleblower penalisation and €4,368 for discrimination, totaling €10,920.".
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Traveller workers who blew whistle on 'deeply dysfunctional' community organisation win 2.5 years pay. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision
When:
- September 28th 2021 Other
- January 2022 Other
- April 2022 Other
- 2023-11-30 Publication
Why: These included the references to health and wellbeing because of the alleged actions of the line manager; the alleged failure to "properly safeguard" personal data in the organisation; the allegation that an offence was being committed under the National Minimum Wage Act, and the complaint to the State patron body in connection with Covid-19 measures, he wrote. CNI source report
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