Courts / Ireland / Report

Safety manager who said 'culture of sexism' prevailed at slaughterhouse wins €48k for penalisation

Summary

In April 2025 a safety manager at an unnamed cross‑border slaughterhouse won €48,000 compensation after the Workplace Relations Commission found the company had penalised her for making a complaint. The manager, who began work in 2018, said she was subjected to sexist remarks and demeaning behaviour, including being called a "prostitute" and "doll" and being filmed making sexual gestures by a male colleague at a Christmas party in 2021. She also reported that a government employee, identified only as "XY", threatened her, used aggressive language, and insisted on controlling access to the women's bathroom. The company's internal investigation was deemed biased, and the manager was disciplined and pressured to attend meetings while on sick leave. The adjudicator ruled the firm breached the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and awarded her a year's salary in compensation for the penalisation.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Safety manager who said 'culture of sexism' prevailed at slaughterhouse wins €48k for penalisation. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial

When:

• 3 July Incident
• 14 July Incident
• February 2024 Other
• Christmas Incident
• 2025-04-08 Publication

Why: The claimant explained that she had made arrangements to retain the key for the ladies' bathroom at the slaughterhouse because it was being dirtied by male workers, an arrangement "welcomed and agreed upon by all the female vets and the female staff", she said. CNI source report

Case subjects

Topics

Stage Charge Or Pretrial

Read the original CNI report