The Workplace Relations Commission ordered McHughs Restaurants T/A Drumboe Restaurants Limited to pay Karen Condell €17,000 compensation after finding she was discriminated against on the gender ground in her dismissal. Adjudication Officer Breiffni O'Neill’s decision was dated 15 May 2025.
Condell alleged her redundancy was not genuine after she told the company she was pregnant. The company said it closed its Portmarnock restaurant and tried to find her another role. The adjudicator found that other staff were redeployed but Condell was not consulted about her skills or possible alternatives; the company failed to rebut the inference of discrimination. The award was equivalent to 26 weeks’ pay.