WRC finds postmaster’s safety complaints case not well-founded

The Workplace Relations Commission found two complaints by counter teller Ms Zara Wachuku against postmaster Mr Derek Merrins were not well-founded. Her separate employment equality complaint was withdrawn at the hearing. The decision was dated 12 March 2026. Wachuku said Merrins penalised her after she reported a workplace incident as a protected disclosure and raised safety concerns, including about working alone and delays installing protective screens. Merrins denied the allegations and said An Post controlled the Merrion Row premises and the screen installation process. The officer found that reporting the incident did not disclose wrongdoing by the employer, so it was not a protected disclosure and the question of penalisation under that law did not arise. Under workplace safety law, the officer accepted that Wachuku’s texts about working alone and the screens were protected acts, but found no evidence that she suffered the employment detriment needed to establish penalisation. No award was recorded.