The Workplace Relations Commission awarded Yen Ting Ho €1,000 after finding Ogalas Unlimited Company engaged in prohibited conduct when it refused her request to breastfeed in a public area of its store. The decision, dated 19 December 2023, also ordered the company to devise a policy for public breastfeeding requests within one month.
Ho said staff directed her to an unsuitable area near the toilets and would not let her breastfeed in the bedlinen section. The company said it offered a secure area at the back of the store and cited safety concerns. The WRC found the company had no formal risk assessment to support those concerns and had handled the request without a policy. It said the company did not intend to discriminate, but found that its conduct breached the Equal Status Acts.