The Labour Court allowed a company’s appeal and set aside an Equality Tribunal decision extending the time for a worker to bring a sexual-harassment complaint. The determination was dated 14 December 2015.
The worker’s last alleged incident was on 31 October 2012, and she presented her complaint on 15 July 2013, after the six-month limit had expired. She relied on shame and anxiety, fear of losing her job and not knowing the deadline. The Court noted that her explanations had changed and that her evidence did not accord in material respects with the reasons given in the original application. It also found she had discussed the incidents with family and had her partner’s support before the time limit expired.
The Court concluded she had not shown reasonable cause for the delay, so the extension could not be granted. The appeal concerned the time extension; the Court made no finding on whether the alleged harassment occurred.