Labour Court raises National Museum worker’s compensation to €15,000

The Labour Court raised compensation from €5,000 to €15,000 for a worker whose bullying complaint was mishandled by the National Museum of Ireland. In its decision dated 21 October 2011, the Court also directed the Museum to reintegrate her into its management structure. The worker said a colleague bullied her and that the Museum failed to investigate properly. The Museum accepted that it had mishandled the complaint, apologised and argued that the original €5,000 compensation was appropriate. The Court found that the Museum’s handling had prejudiced its ability to deal fairly and impartially with the complaint. It said the worker had suffered two degrees of discrimination and had been marginalised in the Museum’s management structure. The Court required a renewed apology and planned reintegration, with a senior manager responsible for it. The €15,000 compensation was not for wages or lost earnings.