The Workplace Relations Commission awarded a crane company worker €10,000 after finding he was discriminated against because of a disability and subjected to discriminatory dismissal. It also awarded him €4,000 over the company’s failure to provide written employment terms.
The decision, dated 29 January 2024, concerned Mr Enda Fox’s employment as a site supervisor with Gabriel O'Brien Crane Hire Limited. Fox said he fractured his pelvis in a workplace accident and that the company dismissed him while he was recovering. The company denied his claims and said he had stopped responding to calls.
The adjudicator found the company knew of Fox’s disability but made no effort to explore ways to accommodate his injury or maintain contact during his recovery. The WRC also found that the company had failed to provide the required employment statements and particulars. It did not uphold Fox’s victimisation claim.