The Workplace Relations Commission found that Dolores O’Riordan had not established gender discrimination by the Health Service Executive over its job evaluation scheme. No award was recorded. The decision was dated 27 September 2024.
O’Riordan, a housekeeper working night shifts across a hospital’s Emergency Department and wards, argued that housekeepers’ duties had expanded and were similar in value to portering work. Housekeepers remained in Band 4 while porters moved to Band 3, which she said reflected gender discrimination. The HSE denied discrimination and said roles were evaluated consistently; it said the housekeeper role was not included in a later alignment process.
The adjudicator said the evidence did not support an inference of discrimination. The complaint lacked a properly supported comparison with porters, including a complete job description and relevant pay information. In discrimination cases, a complainant must first establish facts that could support an inference of discrimination before the employer is required to answer it. The WRC concluded that O’Riordan had not shown she was treated less favourably because of her gender, so her complaint could not succeed.