The Labour Court awarded Liam Murphy €18,000 after finding that Deepak Fasteners (Shannon) Ltd discriminated against him by compulsorily retiring him at 65. The Court’s determination, dated 24 July 2025, set aside a WRC adjudication officer’s decision that Murphy’s complaint was not well-founded.
Murphy had worked as a general operative for the company from 1977 until his 65th birthday in February 2022. He asked to work for another year, but the company refused. He was paid €750 gross a week.
The company described a loss-making business adapting to changes in vehicle manufacturing and seeking new skills. Its chief executive also said Murphy had been trained on one machine that was no longer used full-time. The Court found that machine remained in use part-time and that there were no performance, safety or concentration concerns about Murphy before his retirement.
The Court said the company had not meaningfully considered Murphy’s request or developed a contemporary retirement policy. It found no objective justification for retiring him simply because he had reached 65. The €18,000 award was approximately six months’ gross pay.