The Labour Court has overturned a €55,477.08 compensation award to Sandra Veinberger after allowing her employer’s appeal against a pregnancy discrimination finding. The determination was dated 26 July 2022.
Veinberger told Rel Cooling Services Ltd she was pregnant on 29 July 2019. Later that day, she was told her marketing manager role was at risk of redundancy. She argued that the timing and discrepancies in meeting minutes undermined the company’s account. The employer said it had been planning redundancies because of financial losses before learning of her pregnancy.
The Court found the timing raised a presumption of discrimination, shifting the burden to the employer. It accepted evidence and emails showing the redundancy proposal was being progressed by 22 July, before the company knew of the pregnancy. The appeal succeeded and the earlier decision was set aside.