Labour Court dismisses equal-pay appeal against Donegal Meat Processors

The Labour Court dismissed Rodrigo Da Silva Dias’s appeal against the rejection of his equal-pay claim against Donegal Meat Processors Ltd. In its determination dated 2 March 2009, the Court found he had not established that his work was like that of his nominated comparators. Dias said he carried out the same range of functions as higher-paid workers and was paid less because of his race. The company argued that he lacked the skills needed for some of their work. The Court found he did not perform certain important functions and that the ability to perform them was required for the higher skilled rate.