The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has ordered Mary Street Medical Centre to pay medical secretary Veronica Makunike €20,000 after finding that it victimised her. The decision, dated 13 November 2023, rejected her separate complaints of discrimination on gender, family status and conditions of employment grounds.
Makunike said the practice did not accommodate remote work during her pregnancy, did not initially restore her previous hours or pay her Christmas bonus promptly, and failed to support her return to work. The centre denied discrimination and victimisation, and said it supported her through occupational health reports, counselling and training.
The officer found the discrimination complaints concerned events outside the statutory referral period. But the centre’s handling of Makunike’s return to work, including not involving an outside mediator recommended by occupational health, amounted to adverse treatment. The officer found that treatment was a reaction to her protected actions. Victimisation law protects workers from adverse treatment for asserting rights under equality law. The award is compensation, not wages.