WRC finds garda was discriminated against but dismisses complaint over filing delay

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

The Workplace Relations Commission found that Garda Joseph Joyce was discriminated against when he was sent back to work without a medical examination or an individual risk assessment. It dismissed his equality complaint because too much time had passed before he filed it in November 2022, leaving the tribunal without jurisdiction to uphold it.

Joyce, who has severe asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, had been working from home. He was ordered to return to duty on New Year’s Day 2022 during a Covid-19 surge. The tribunal rejected his argument that the discrimination continued while he was on sick leave, so that period did not address the filing delay.