WRC rejects Zhihua Yuan’s race discrimination complaint against Gaffney Mechanical

The Workplace Relations Commission found Zhihua Yuan’s race discrimination complaint against Gaffney Mechanical Limited was not well founded. The decision was dated 17 October 2024. Yuan said he signed an employment contract and that the company arranged work for him at another firm. The company said he never became its employee. The adjudication officer found Yuan did not arrive in Ireland until 31 December 2022 and had never worked for or been paid by Gaffney Mechanical. The officer found Yuan had not established discrimination or victimisation on any statutory ground. She also found he had not shown that he was a worker or employee under the Protected Disclosures Act. Complaints about the work permit system and the costs of seeking work in Ireland were outside her jurisdiction. No award was recorded.