The Workplace Relations Commission found that Iarnrod Eireann Irish Rail did not discriminate against William Morris when it declined to progress his application for a locomotive driver job. The adjudicator also rejected his complaints over a Revenue Protection Officer application. The decision was dated 16 September 2022.
Morris argued that his anxiety history led to his exclusion from the train driver recruitment process and that the company had not assessed his circumstances individually or considered reasonable accommodation. Irish Rail said the decision followed medical assessment of his fitness for a safety-critical role. The adjudicator found the decision fell within the occupational requirement exception, considering the role’s safety demands, and accepted that proportionate accommodation was not possible in the circumstances.
The adjudicator also found insufficient evidence that Irish Rail operated a blanket ban on applicants with general anxiety disorder, accepting the occupational health doctor’s denial of remarks attributed to him. For the Revenue Protection Officer role, the interview panel’s decision was made on factors unrelated to Morris’s medical status. The decision found no discrimination or victimisation in that recruitment process.