The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) ordered Boots Retail (Ireland) Limited to pay Claudia Tanase €800 compensation and ensure assigned security personnel receive appropriate briefing or training on the Equal Status Acts. The decision was dated 11 September 2026.
The case concerned an incident at Boots’ Henry Street premises on 3 October 2024. Tanase alleged that a security guard restricted her access because of her Roma ethnicity when she went to the pharmacy. Boots denied discrimination and said the restriction was linked to previous conduct.
The adjudicator found the guard was acting as Boots’ agent, making the company answerable for his actions. The WRC found that Boots had not rebutted the inference of race discrimination, and that its claim of prior anti-social conduct was unsupported by evidence. The adjudicator also said Tanase’s conduct contributed to the escalation of the encounter.