The Labour Court rejected Sayara Beg’s appeal against the dismissal of her gender and race discrimination complaints against Aon Commercial Services and Operations Ireland. In a determination dated 29 August 2013, the Court affirmed the Equality Tribunal’s decision.
Beg said questions about the origin of her name and whether she was born in India showed race bias. The Court said those interview questions could raise an inference of discrimination, but accepted the company’s evidence that they were not motivated by a discriminatory attitude. It also found that statistics about women in senior board roles did not establish gender bias by the company.
The company said it had no suitable role for Beg, given her salary expectations and its view that she lacked the people-management skills required for a senior position. The Court noted that Beg’s application had progressed well and she was highly ranked, but the positions under consideration were never filled and no other candidate was hired. Beg had failed to attend the Equality Officer hearing; the Labour Court considered the merits of her appeal and disallowed it.