WRC declines jurisdiction over Cathy O'Leary’s complaint against John Bogue

The Workplace Relations Commission declined jurisdiction over Cathy O'Leary’s Equal Status complaint against John Bogue, finding she had not complied with the statutory notice requirement. The decision was dated 7 March 2022; the merits were not decided. O'Leary said Bogue made aggressive remarks referring to Travellers after she returned to his shop about an apple tart sprinkled with salt instead of sugar. Bogue denied making the remarks and argued that her complaint was outside the time limit. The shop manager apologised and offered O'Leary another tart and a refund. The adjudication officer found that O'Leary’s letter to Bogue did not tell him she would seek redress under the Equal Status Acts if dissatisfied with his response. The officer also found no exceptional circumstances to waive that requirement.