Irish Prison Service defeats age discrimination pay complaint

The Workplace Relations Commission found that Don Culliton was not discriminated against on age grounds in a complaint about a pay gap with a colleague doing work of equal value. The decision was dated 24 January 2024. Culliton, the Irish Prison Service’s Director of Operations, said he earned about €32,000 a year less than Fergal Black, Director of Care and Rehabilitation. The Service accepted that their work was of equal value, but said Black’s higher salary reflected the history of his post and recruitment challenges when its headquarters moved to Longford. The adjudication officer found that the pay difference could initially suggest discrimination, but accepted the Service’s explanation that the higher rate had been maintained to attract a replacement for a predecessor in Longford. The officer concluded the difference was objectively justified by factors other than age. Culliton’s complaint was not well founded.