The Workplace Relations Commission has awarded former civil servant Barbara Geraghty €82,000 after finding that The Office of the Revenue Commissioners discriminated against her because of her age. The decision was dated 4 November 2021.
Geraghty was required to retire at 65 under the Civil Service Regulation Act 1956, while colleagues doing the same work could remain until 70. The Revenue Commissioners argued that the retirement age was justified and that staff recruited under different terms were not valid comparators.
The adjudicator found that other clerical officers could be suitable comparators regardless of when they had joined, and that the Revenue Commissioners had not justified refusing to let Geraghty work until 70. The statutory retirement provision was disapplied as it applied to her. Her initial family-status and other-grounds allegations were not pursued; the finding was on age discrimination.