Two Traveller workers awarded €10,920 each for discrimination

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

Two low-paid Traveller workers were awarded €10,920 each by the Workplace Relations Commission for whistleblower penalisation and discrimination. Adjudicator Brian Dalton upheld complaints under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 and the Employment Equality Act 1998.

The awards comprised 18 months’ salary, or €6,552, for whistleblower penalisation and €4,368 for discrimination based on membership of the Travelling Community. The management made no appearance at the hearing, and the discrimination claim was not rebutted.

The workers had raised formal complaints in spring and early summer 2021 and were removed from a conference call on 28 September 2021, according to their evidence. The proceedings were reported on 30 November 2023.