The Labour Court upheld a €14,000 disability discrimination award to Mark Langford, dismissing the appeal by Burt Hotel Limited, trading as An Grianan Hotel. The determination was dated 14 May 2012.
Langford said he was dismissed after an accident left him on sick leave and with limited physical movement. He told the Court the hotel’s general manager said he lacked the physical capacity to do his job. The Court accepted that account and found the employer’s explanations inconsistent and unreliable. It concluded Langford was dismissed on grounds of disability and that the employer had not discharged its burden of proof.
The Equality Tribunal had also rejected Langford’s complaint that the hotel failed to provide reasonable accommodation. He did not appeal that finding, so it was not before the Labour Court.