The WRC rejected Jessica Bowes’s family-status discrimination complaint against Dunnes Stores over an incident at a supermarket during the pandemic. Adjudication Officer Breiffni O'Neill dated the decision 16 February 2022.
Bowes said a security guard told her she could not enter with her children, while a married former colleague was allowed in with her husband and children. Dunnes Stores said staff were trying to limit the number of shoppers in the store and encourage customers to shop alone where possible. It said Bowes left voluntarily and that the store later arranged and delivered her shopping without charge.
The officer extended the time for Bowes to bring her complaint, taking account of her circumstances during the pandemic and the company’s lack of objection. He found there was no evidence the guard knew Bowes was a single mother when he spoke to her, or that other staff made discriminatory comments. He concluded that she had not established a case of discrimination and that Dunnes Stores had not engaged in prohibited conduct. The €130 value of the delivered goods was not an award.