The Workplace Relations Commission rejected Cathal Russell’s discrimination complaint against University Hospital Limerick, finding that the alleged discrimination did not take place. The decision, dated 10 February 2023, followed a claim concerning delays in handling his workplace grievance.
Russell, a catering manager, said his grievance was delayed for about six weeks, while a female non-Irish national employee’s grievance was handled more quickly. He argued that the difference breached HSE policy and amounted to discrimination on gender and race grounds. The hospital accepted that delays had occurred and policy timelines were exceeded, but said staff were working under exceptional pressure during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The adjudication officer allowed an extension of six months to the time limit, citing Russell’s illness, the pandemic and the HSE cyber-attack. The case then proceeded to a decision on its merits.
The officer found the evidence did not establish that Russell had been treated less favourably on gender or nationality grounds. The complaint under the Employment Equality Act 1998 did not succeed. The €65,000 figure in the decision was his approximate salary for a 37-hour week, not an award; no compensation was awarded.