The Labour Court has awarded Máire Aherne €16,500 after upholding her appeal against the National Council for Special Education over a final written warning that she said was retaliation for raising safety concerns about required in-person school visits. The Court signed its decision on 24 August 2026.
The Council said its disciplinary steps responded to Aherne’s refusal to follow a reasonable instruction. The Court found the Council had not established that its decision to maintain the warning was unrelated to her safety concerns, and set aside the Adjudication Officer’s decision.