The Workplace Relations Commission awarded Sandra Varian €32,500 after finding that her dismissal was related to her pregnancy and discriminatory on gender grounds. The decision, dated 23 January 2023, also found that she had not established discrimination on the separate ground of family status.
Varian joined Zahra Publishing Limited Zahra as Group Sales Manager in July 2021 and was dismissed in December, while pregnant. She said the company treated her pregnancy as an issue and would have extended her probation if she had not been pregnant. The company said it dismissed her during probation because of poor sales and performance.
The officer noted that performance concerns were raised after Varian told the chief executive she was pregnant. The officer also considered evidence that her sales figures were low and that there were concerns about her presentations. However, the officer concluded that her probation would have been extended if she had not been going on maternity leave, giving her time to develop business in the pipeline. The award was equivalent to six months’ salary.