The Labour Court overturned an Equality Officer’s decision and awarded John Whyte €10,000 after finding that Green Line Pallets Limited discriminated against him because of his disability. The determination was signed on 2 November 2012.
Whyte appealed the finding that his dismissal was not discriminatory. He said the company dismissed him without explaining that his work was a problem or giving him a chance to respond. The company said his output was inadequate, but it did not attend the Labour Court hearing.
The Court found that the lack of communication about Whyte’s performance and dismissal could be related to his disability, raising an inference of discrimination that the company did not rebut. It found the discriminatory dismissal claim succeeded under section 8 of the Employment Equality Acts and awarded €10,000 compensation. Whyte had earned €224 a week. The determination does not separately decide his claim that the company failed to accommodate his disability.