Labour Court upholds finding against part-time legal secretary

The Labour Court upheld a finding that Ryans Solicitors LLP did not treat Mrs Carol Connolly less favourably because she worked part-time. Its determination, dated 3 February 2023, rejected her appeal under the Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act 2001. Connolly said she had to attend the office during lockdown while a full-time colleague could work from home. The firm said its experienced part-time legal secretaries were needed on site to handle hardcopy files, while the full-time receptionist and legal secretary could do her work from home. The Court accepted that the employees had different roles and levels of experience, and found the difference in arrangements did not arise from Connolly’s part-time status. The Adjudication Officer had found her complaint not well-founded, and the Court upheld that decision.