Courts / Ireland / Report

Nanny fired at Christmas wins €55k for maternity discrimination

Summary

Naomi Hanlon, a nanny employed by Emer McGrath from August 2020 to December 2023, brought a complaint under the Employment Equality Act 1998 alleging that her employer's attitude changed after she disclosed her pregnancy and that she was dismissed on fabricated grounds. The Workplace Relations Commission heard that during a performance review on 2 October 2023, Ms McGrath claimed Ms Hanlon had said she would not return to work, a statement Ms Hanlon denied. She said the meeting was awkward and that her relationship with her employer became cold and sparse. Ms McGrath emailed Ms Hanlon on 5 December 2023 stating her employment would end on 14 March 2024, and after further correspondence the nanny was terminated on 31 December 2023. Ms Hanlon's solicitor argued that the dismissal was not linked to her pregnancy and that Ms McGrath had attempted to coerce resignation before resorting to spurious grounds.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Nanny fired at Christmas wins €55k for maternity discrimination. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• August 2020 Other
• December 2023 Other
• 2 October 2023 Other
• 5 December 2023 Other
• 14 March Other
• March 2024 Other
• 15 December 2023 Other
• 22 December 2023 Other
• 29 December Other
• New Year's Eve Other
• 2025-03-25 Publication

Case subjects

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

Read the original CNI report