The Workplace Relations Commission found that Core Credit Union discriminated against Hugh McGuire on the ground of age in its free life insurance members’ benefit scheme and ordered it to pay him €1,000. The decision was dated 27 July 2023.
McGuire said the scheme gave younger members higher benefit levels and treated him less favourably as a member over 65. Core Credit Union disputed discrimination, arguing that age-based differences were supported by actuarial data and underwriting or commercial factors.
The adjudication officer found that McGuire had established a case of age discrimination and that the credit union had not rebutted it. The officer said the data did not justify the age-based difference and the policy applied the same approach across age groups without taking individual circumstances into account.