The Workplace Relations Commission found Pauline Walsh’s age discrimination complaint against Bausch Health Ireland Limited not well-founded. The decision by Adjudication Officer Gaye Cunningham was dated 20 January 2025.
Walsh said the company discriminated against her by refusing to renew her post-retirement contract, despite her contract and the employee handbook not specifying a retirement age. The company said its retirement guidelines set the normal retirement age at 65 and cited health and safety, intergenerational fairness, workforce balance and succession planning aims.
The adjudicator found Walsh had accepted a fixed-term contract due to expire on 1 March 2024. The decision said extensions granted to some employees did not establish less favourable treatment. The WRC found no prima facie case of age discrimination and recorded no award.