The Workplace Relations Commission ordered gym operator Westwood to pay Margaret Fitzpatrick €3,000 after finding that it discriminated against her on the age ground. The decision was dated 28 March 2024. Fitzpatrick, a full-time student over 25, had been refused the student membership rate because of her age.
Fitzpatrick had been a member of the gym since 2009. She said she presented her student card when she enquired about student membership and received no response to her formal complaint. Westwood argued that restricting its full-time student membership to people under 25 did not breach the Equal Status Act.
The adjudicator compared Fitzpatrick with a full-time student under 25 applying for the same membership. The younger student would receive the discounted rate, while Fitzpatrick was asked to pay the full rate. The WRC found this difference in treatment amounted to age discrimination and upheld her complaint under the Equal Status Act 2000. Westwood was ordered to pay the compensation within 42 days of the decision.