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Public servant claims he was penalised after speaking up on standard of Irish at food watchdog

Summary

A former public servant, Seanán Ó Coistín, is set to have his employment rights claims heard in Irish later this year. He alleges he was penalised for criticising the standard of Irish at the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. Ó Coistín claims his rights under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977, the Protection of Employment (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003, and the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 were breached during his time at the FSAI. He made a protected disclosure about the level of ability in Irish before leaving his position in late 2024. Counsel for the respondent, Paul Gough, stated that Ó Coistín was engaged via a recruitment agency on fixed-term contracts, the last of which expired at the end of the year. Ó Coistín filed a complaint under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977, but it is unclear if later complaints in July 2025 were timely. During his hearing, Ó Coistín brought food and drink labelled in Irish and asked the adjudicator if he spoke Irish.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Public servant claims he was penalised after speaking up on standard of Irish at food watchdog. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• July 2025 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2026-01-26 Publication

Why: After this was interpreted for Mr Ó Coistín, the complainant said he wanted to "do it now, because I've waited to do it for a long time". CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

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Read the original CNI report