Courts / Waterford / Report
Dawn Meats worker wins €15k but WRC finds hygiene allegations 'refuted'
Summary
In a Workplace Relations Commission hearing, Abdullah Aljaber, a former general operative at Dawn Meats in Waterford, was awarded €15,000 for discrimination under the Employment Equality Act 1998. Aljaber claimed the company dismissed him because of a back injury and failed to provide reasonable accommodation for his disability. He alleged that during the winter of 2020, Covid‑19 pressure led to neglected hygiene and safety procedures, including the handling of burgers that fell to the floor and were allegedly put back on the line. Dawn Meats representatives, including a former health and safety manager, refuted these claims, stating that fallen patties were placed in red trays for disposal and that no such practice occurred. The tribunal accepted evidence that Aljaber's dismissal in July 2021 was linked to his back injury and that the company had not examined reasonable accommodations, leading to the compensation award.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Dawn Meats worker wins €15k but WRC finds hygiene allegations 'refuted'. Procedural stage: trial
When:
- November 2022 Other
- November 2020 Other
- 5 January 2021 Other
- January 2021 Other
- July 2021 Other
- 2024-07-22 Publication
Why: (Pictured: Mr Abdullah Aljaber leaving Waterford Courthouse) A worker who alleged health and safety procedures were "neglected" at the Dawn Meats factory in Waterford because of Covid-19 pandemic pressure in the winter of 2020 has won €15,000 for discrimination after the Workplace Relations Commission ruled he was dismissed because of a back injury. CNI source report
Case subjects
Applicant
Outcome: At a series of hearings dating back to 2022, the meatpacking giant's representatives had tried to have members of the press barred from reporting on any of Mr Aljaber's allegations, which included the claim that dropped burgers were picked up from the floor and put back on a packaging line at the plant.
Applicant
Outcome: At a series of hearings dating back to 2022, the meatpacking giant's representatives had tried to have members of the press barred from reporting on any of Mr Aljaber's allegations, which included the claim that dropped burgers were picked up from the floor and put back on a packaging line at the plant.
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