John McGrath loses age discrimination complaint over retirement

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

John McGrath’s age discrimination complaint against St John Ambulance Ireland was dismissed by the Workplace Relations Commission in a decision dated 9 January 2024.

McGrath challenged the charity’s requirement that he leave his volunteer role by 25 June 2022 because he was over 70.

The charity said it introduced the retirement age after a governance review raised concerns about executive succession and volunteers’ health and safety.

McGrath’s representative said he had received training as a volunteer, which was denied to him after his position ended. The charity said he was a service provider as a volunteer, rather than a service user.

Adjudication officer Breiffni O'Neill found there was no breach of the Equal Status Act because a service had not been denied to McGrath in his capacity as a member of the public. He also found that the Act did not cover allegations of discrimination over a decision not to provide training to a member of the public seeking to volunteer. He found that McGrath had not established a prima facie case of discrimination and that the charity had not engaged in prohibited conduct.