Courts / Ireland / Report

Shop worker with heart condition let go for taking too much sick leave wins €6.5k

Summary

A shop worker with a weakened immune system who was dismissed for taking too much sick leave has won €6,500 for disability discrimination. The Workplace Relations Commission ruled that the employer had breached the Employment Equality Act 1998. The worker, who had a heart condition and a stent inserted at age 16, informed her manager during her job interview that she would need time off for medical appointments. She took sick leave for five days in September 2024 and seven days in January 2025 due to illness. The employer claimed her absence rate was unacceptably high during her probation period. The tribunal found that the worker had raised the issue of her disability at the interview stage and that the employer failed to provide reasonable accommodation. The employer was directed to pay €6,500 in compensation and to review its procedures and training to ensure compliance with equality law.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Shop worker with heart condition let go for taking too much sick leave wins €6.5k. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• August 2024 Hearing Or Sentence
• September 2025 Hearing Or Sentence
• September 2024 Other
• January 2025 Other
• 24 January 2025 Other
• 4 February Other
• 2026-01-19 Publication

Why: Because of her heart condition, she had a "weakened immune system", and needed longer to recover, she said. CNI source report

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

Read the original CNI report