Case files...
The case files of the Equality Authority reveal the human face of discrimination. In one case taken up by the authority and settled, a woman claimed she was discriminated against on the grounds of her sexual orientation.
She had applied for a job and been interviewed by the company. The interview went well, and the managing director told her that her CV was the best they had received. He went on to discuss with her salary, commission, company car and other conditions, before offering her the position, which the complainant accepted.
As she was leaving she was asked was she married. She replied she was as good as married, but that her partner was a woman.
A week later she was told she had not got the job. The company subsequently denied that she had been asked about her marital status, and said she had proffered the information herself. It denied that the information about her sexual orientation was a factor in refusing to employ her. The case was settled for 8,000.
In another case, a migrant worked as a cleaner for long hours six days a week. Her employer constantly threatened her with deportation if she did not do as he requested. He confiscated documents including her passport, and only gave it back to her when she gave him a substantial lump sum.
Eventually she had no option but to leave. However, her employer refused to give her a P45, which she needed for another employer.
Following intervention by the Equality Authority, her employer agreed, without admission of liability, to pay her a substantial sum in settlement of her complaints.
In a case under the Equal Status Act, a Traveller woman was living in substandard accommodation in a mobile home on a site which was constantly flooded. She applied for a house which she knew to be vacant for some time.
Despite repeated requests, supported by social worker reports, the local authorities concerned did not allocate alternative housing. Following correspondence with the Equality Authority, the complainant was offered the house she had applied for.
Carol Coulter