WRC dismisses director’s gender discrimination complaint against Allied Irish Bank Aib

The Workplace Relations Commission dismissed Jacinta Doherty’s gender discrimination complaint against Allied Irish Bank Aib, finding it had no jurisdiction because the dispute concerned directors’ remuneration rather than a service covered by the Equal Status Act. The decision was dated 9 December 2022; the merits were not decided. Doherty, a staff-nominated director of a subsidiary, said a male director received payment while she and another female director did not, despite comparable skills and experience. The bank argued that the conduct did not constitute a service under the Act. The adjudication officer found that the dispute involved a private contractual relationship and was not a service generally available to the public or a section of it.