Labour Court rejects department appeal over civil servant’s discrimination claim deadline

The Labour Court rejected a government department’s appeal against an extension of time for a civil servant’s indirect disability discrimination claim. The determination was signed on 7 October 2014, allowing the claim to proceed to a hearing on its merits. The department argued that the Equality Tribunal should not have extended the deadline. The civil servant said allegations of misconduct and the disciplinary investigation had delayed his claim. The Court accepted his explanation and found the department would not be prejudiced in defending it. It affirmed the time extension and disallowed the appeal; the discrimination claim itself remains undecided.