The WRC has awarded €24,000 to a worker after finding that a fast-food restaurant discriminated against her on gender grounds by transferring her during pregnancy and dismissing her. The decision was dated 26 January 2017.
The worker said she was moved to a city-centre location and late shifts after telling her manager she was pregnant. The adjudication officer found the transfer discriminatory, noting that there had been no formal risk assessment and that the worker was placed in a less desirable location with fewer staff to help with manual duties.
The officer accepted the worker’s account of events leading to the end of her employment and found that the employer placed pressure on her to do work posing risks to her pregnancy. The €24,000 compensation was for the effects of discrimination and excluded remuneration. Her separate Payment of Wages complaint was withdrawn at the hearing.