The WRC recommended that a national school pay €8,500 to a special needs assistant after finding that her right to a timely and fair investigation of her bullying and harassment complaint had been set aside. The recommendation was dated 8 April 2016.
The worker said the school had not properly investigated her complaint and sought an independent investigation. She also said she suffered financial loss during an eight-month absence from work. The school said changes in management and the principal’s sick leave prevented the investigation from being completed.
The adjudicator accepted those circumstances as explanations for the delay, but found no formal process or official closure had followed. The compensation recommendation covered defects in implementing the school’s bullying and harassment policy and their consequences.