The Workplace Relations Commission awarded Chris Murray €3,500 after finding that Coolebridge Ltd discriminated against him on the ground of race and victimised him. The decision, dated 26 October 2023, found that colleagues mocked Murray’s English accent and attributed a national origin and religion to him.
Murray worked as a general assistant at a centre providing housing for refugees seeking protection and asylum. He said colleagues called him a Protestant and asked what he was doing in Inchicore. When he raised the issue, his manager advised him not to take offence. The adjudicator found that Murray had shown a prima facie case of discrimination, which the employer failed to rebut. The manager’s failure to address the issue after Murray complained also amounted to victimisation.
Murray’s unfair dismissal complaint was outside the WRC’s jurisdiction because he had not completed 52 weeks of employment. The merits of that complaint were not decided. Coolebridge Ltd did not attend the hearing, but the adjudicator was satisfied it had been notified.