A woman who alleged sex discrimination after she was not given the opportunity for promotion while on maternity leave has settled the case for £215,000 (€257,000).

Maeve Bradley took the case against Citibank N.A. UK, supported by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. The case was settled without admission of liability.

Discrimination means treating one person in a less favourable way than another person. There are laws to prevent certain types of discrimination in the workplace.

There are 9 grounds for discrimination in the Republic of Ireland, known as the protected grounds. These are, gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race and membership of the traveller community.

An employee is said to be discriminated against if they are treated less favourably than another employee is treated, has been treated or would be treated, in a comparable situation on any of the above 9 grounds.

Ms Bradley issued legal proceedings alleging sex discrimination, and later brought two further claims alleging disability discrimination and victimisation.

An assistant vice president of her division in 2023, Ms Bradley had been told a promotion was on the cards when she returned from her maternity leave. But when she contacted a manager ahead of her return to let them know she had applied for reduced hours due to childcare needs, she was offered an alternative role and told her job, and the promotion that went with it, had been given to the person who filled in for her.

The post was not advertised and there was no interview process as the role was upgraded.

Specific situations covered by employment equality legislation include pregnancy. Pregnancy-related discrimination is discrimination on the ground of gender and includes recruitment, promotion and general conditions of employment. You are also protected under maternity protection and unfair dismissals legislation, if you are pregnant or have recently given birth.

As part of the settlement, which was reached without any admission of liability, Ms Bradley’s employment at Citibank was terminated. She received £215,000, close to €260,000,  and one of the largest settlements of its kind in Northern Ireland.

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and the Workplace Relations Commission are separate organisations that work to ensure equality at work in the Republic of Ireland.

 

NB – This is a guide for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have an issue requiring legal advice, please contact any of the team at Nolan Farrell & Goff LLP, whose numbers can be found on our website www.nfg.ie, or email info@nfg.ie.