AN EQUALITY officer has awarded a group of 58 foreign national workers, most of whom were employed as truck drivers, €5,000 each after she found that their employer discriminated against them on the grounds of race.
She also awarded a further €25,000 and €10,000 respectively to two of the men after finding that they were victims of discriminatory dismissal, and ordered the company concerned, Ballyfermot-based Goode Concrete Ltd, to put in place better procedures when dealing with foreign national employees.
She awarded a further €2,000 to one of the men for the stress he suffered due to the “discriminatory treatment” he received when he returned to work late after Christmas holidays.
However, in her ruling, equality officer Gerardine Coyle did not find in favour of the men’s other claims of harassment, victimisation, or claims for equal pay.
Many of the men had claimed that they were entitled to the same pay as a named Irish employee in the company. But the company argued successfully that this was not the case, partly due to the fact that they were not engaged in “like work”.
However, Ms Coyle ruled that the 58 employees – all but four of whom worked as truck drivers with the company – had successfully argued that they had been discriminated against on the grounds of race.
She said this was because their terms and conditions of employment and safety documentation were not set out in a “language that was understandable to each of them . . . or where there is no evidence that these terms and conditions of employment were explained to each of them by a person speaking a language they understood who was appointed by Goode Concrete Limited for this specific purpose”.
She ordered the company to put in place procedures for ensuring such employees are clear as to their terms and conditions of employment, and that they understand all safety documentation.
She also said the company should maintain better records of disciplinary meetings.