A public service body discriminated against an officer with a disability by withdrawing a workplace accommodation without considering alternatives, the Workplace Relations Commission found. It awarded her €7,000. The decision was dated 1 February 2018.
The officer worked in a control room using a chair to elevate her leg. The body removed the chair and supplied a footrest that did not raise her leg high enough. It said no suitable post could accommodate her need to elevate her leg and relied on medical advice. The adjudicator found the body had not considered an effective alternative before putting her off duty.
The unfair dismissal complaint was not well founded because her employment ended under the ill-health retirement scheme and she had not resigned. The wages complaint succeeded over €2,434.86 deducted for surplus annual leave, and she can recover any amount still outstanding; repayments for pension contributions and benefits were authorised. The public holiday complaint was out of time and not well founded; the merits were not decided.