Refusal to comply with unpaid wages ruling was discriminatory, WRC rules

A County Donegal hair salon supplier has been ordered to pay €106,000 to a former salesman following a Workplace Relations Commission ruling that found age and disability discrimination. Damien O'Doherty, who had worked for FM Salon Supplies Ltd for 22 years, was awarded €53,000 for each of two separate breaches of the Employment Equality Act 1998. The adjudication officer found that the company's refusal to comply with an earlier order for unpaid wages constituted a discriminatory act. The dispute arose in 2023 when Mr O'Doherty discovered a younger colleague received a more favourable commission package. After disclosing a mental health disability to his employer in an attempt to resolve the matter, he was subjected to abusive language and derogatory remarks about his condition. The respondent company presented no direct evidence to rebut the discrimination allegations. The tribunal determined that the employer's conduct caused significant deterioration in Mr O'Doherty's mental health.