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Union 'decimated' Brendan Ogle's job on return from cancer, WRC hears

Summary

Trade unionist Brendan Ogle claims his role at Unite's Irish office was "decimated" after surviving cancer, alleging discrimination under the Employment Equality Act 1998. He says he was told by the union's general secretary that he would be written out of plans for Ireland, and that a directive was issued preventing him from being involved in his former duties. Ogle's lawyer, Mary‑Paula Guinness, argues that his responsibilities were drastically reduced and that the union failed to accommodate him. The Workplace Relations Commission is hearing Ogle's statutory complaint, which has been reduced to a single claim of discrimination after he withdrew three complaints of penalisation under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014. Unite's counsel, Mark Harty, maintains that Ogle has not established a comparator and that the union took all possible steps to accommodate him. The case will run for up to eight days, with a potential witness summons for the union's general secretary.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Union 'decimated' Brendan Ogle's job on return from cancer, WRC hears. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• February 2020 Other
• 19 April 2021 Other
• November 2021 Other
• 2024-02-27 Publication

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Trial

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Read the original CNI report