The Workplace Relations Commission found that Hse National Ambulance Service discriminated against advanced paramedic Deirdre Mullally by refusing travel and subsistence expenses during her temporary redeployment while pregnant. It awarded her €15,000 in compensation for financial loss.
The decision, dated 4 May 2023, concerned Mullally’s move from New Ross to temporary duties in Wexford in July 2020. She said the longer journey increased her travel costs and time burden compared with colleagues. The HSE said the reassignment followed a pregnancy risk assessment and that its rules did not allow the payments she sought.
The adjudication officer found that New Ross remained Mullally’s work base and that her Wexford trips met the criteria for travel and subsistence expenses. The HSE had relied on an agreement that expired in 2016. The officer found that Mullally was treated less favourably than colleagues and that the HSE had not objectively justified the discrimination.