The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) found it had no jurisdiction to hear Thomas Joyce’s discrimination complaint against Poundland Limited T/A Dealz. The decision was dated 12 May 2022; the merits were not decided.
Joyce alleged that a shop assistant treated him rudely and told him to leave while he was shopping with his sister. He said he was discriminated against because of his disability and membership of the Traveller community. Dealz disputed that the treatment was based on either ground.
The WRC said Joyce’s notice to Dealz did not mention either protected ground or say that he intended to refer the matter to the Director. It also found no special circumstances that would allow it to dispense with the notice requirement. Under the Equal Status Acts, a person must give the respondent notice of the complaint before bringing it to the WRC. Because the notice did not meet that requirement, the adjudicator found there was no jurisdiction to hear the complaint.