The Equality Tribunal found that Geraldine Kearney’s complaints against Lettertec Ireland Ltd failed. Equality Officer Vivian Jackson dated the decision 25 September 2008. The officer found no prima facie case of discrimination in Kearney’s working conditions and ruled that her dismissal was unrelated to her pregnancy.
Kearney said that after telling the company she was pregnant, she was given extra duties and required to complete timesheets. She also alleged that the company dismissed her before her maternity leave because of her pregnancy. Lettertec denied discrimination, saying business had declined and there was insufficient work to retain her.
The officer found that work from Kearney’s main clients had fallen and that her changed duties were appropriate and unrelated to pregnancy. On the dismissal complaint, the officer accepted that the company had reduced its staff and could manage without Kearney during her absence. As the most recently recruited administrative employee, she would have been first to go under the company’s last-in, first-out practice. The officer concluded that objective factors unrelated to pregnancy explained the termination.