The Workplace Relations Commission awarded €6,552 to a Community Health Worker after finding that the Community Support Organisation penalised her for making protected disclosures. The WRC also found that she was discriminated against on the ground of membership of the travelling community and awarded €4,368 on that complaint. The decision was dated 14 November 2023.
The part-time Community Welfare Officer, who had more than 10 years’ service, said she was suspended and excluded from work after raising concerns about the organisation, including its support for the community it served. She also alleged that she was removed from a work call and not reimbursed for work phone and broadband costs, while colleagues outside the Travelling Community received those benefits.
The respondent did not attend the hearing or submit evidence. The adjudicator found the complainant’s account of protected disclosures and subsequent detriment uncontested, with no alternative explanation from the respondent. For the discrimination complaint, the adjudicator found facts supporting an inference of discrimination that the respondent did not rebut. The case was heard alongside ADJ-00040844.