The Labour Court awarded Mary Clarke €20,000 after finding that Louth County Council discriminated against her by ending her employment when she reached 65. The Court dated its determination 27 May 2019, after the Council appealed an Adjudication Officer’s decision that had found her complaint well founded.
Clarke had worked as a clerical officer for the Council since August 2001. She said she had asked to stay in work for another year, but the Council refused two days before she was due to retire. It relied on the retirement age in her terms of office and said an extension could affect workforce planning and financial management.
The Council also said replacing Clarke had saved about €10,000 because her replacement was at the beginning of the pay scale while she was at the top. The Court found the Council had not justified applying age 65 to Clarke when later employees in the same staff category could work beyond that age. It concluded that the Council had discriminated against her on age grounds and varied the earlier decision, awarding her €20,000 compensation.