The Equality Tribunal awarded Kerrie Mc Garvey €30,000 after finding that Intrum Justitia discriminated against her on gender and family-status grounds by dismissing her. Equality Officer Conor Stokes dated the decision 25 July 2008.
Mc Garvey said she was selected for redundancy while pregnant and that the employer referred negatively to her family commitments. Intrum Justitia denied discrimination, saying redundancies followed an acquisition and a move to one system.
The officer found the selection process was not sufficiently objective or transparent. The manager who scored staff had reservations about employing Mc Garvey, relied on no objective assessments and did not seek input from immediate line managers. Intrum Justitia did not establish exceptional circumstances unconnected with her pregnancy to justify the dismissal.
The €30,000 compensation was for the discriminatory treatment and did not include remuneration.