The Workplace Relations Commission found that an Egyptian worker’s race and religion discrimination and victimisation complaints against a meat factory were not well founded in a decision dated 17 May 2017. A separate duplicate complaint was withdrawn.
The worker said he was excluded from sheep slaughter work after refusing to sign training records he considered false, and alleged unequal hours, pay, breaks and religious leave. The factory said it was updating training records for all lamb abattoir staff and that workers who had not signed them could not work on 12 May 2016.
The adjudication officer accepted the factory’s explanation for the training records and work allocation, and found the worker had not established discrimination in relation to his conditions of employment. He also rejected the victimisation complaint because another employee’s personal injury proceedings were not a protected act under the Employment Equality Acts.