The Workplace Relations Commission found that Unite the Union did not discriminate against Brendan Ogle on the ground of disability after his return from sick leave. The complaint was not well founded, and no award was made.
In a decision dated 3 October 2024, adjudication officer Elizabeth Spelman found that the change in Ogle’s role reflected Unite’s wider shift from political work towards industrial work and was unconnected to his disability. She also found that Ogle was not pressured to accept a Grade 9 role in Dundalk.
Ogle, a Grade 10 union official, said his duties changed after cancer-related sick leave and that he was pressured to take the Dundalk role. Unite denied discrimination, saying it had offered him a full-time Education and Legal position at the same grade as part of its changed priorities. The adjudication officer found the new role was full-time and at Grade 10.
Ogle withdrew three other complaints concerning protected disclosures, the Health Act and workplace safety. They were recorded as withdrawn, not decided against him.