Irish Prison Service offered reasonable accommodation, WRC finds

The Workplace Relations Commission found James Flanagan’s disability discrimination complaint against the Irish Prison Service was not well founded, after finding the Service offered reasonable accommodation by offering him a transfer back to Mountjoy Prison. The decision was dated 5 October 2022. Flanagan, a Work Training Officer, sought to keep a six-day roster after moving to Shelton Abbey in March 2021. He said it would help him arrange medical appointments. The Service said staffing resources and roster agreements prevented it from providing that roster at Shelton Abbey, and offered alternative locations. The WRC found the offer to transfer back to Mountjoy was reasonable accommodation. In this context, reasonable accommodation means practical adjustments that help an employee with a disability participate in work, unless they would impose a disproportionate burden.