Teacher Awarded €85,000 After Maternity Leave Discrimination in Job Interview
A Westmeath primary school has been ordered to pay €85,000 in compensation to teacher Emily Williams after the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) found she was discriminated against during a job interview because of her family status.
The incident occurred during an interview for a fixed-term teaching position at St. Tola’s National School, when the school principal, Eileen Smyth, congratulated Ms Williams on the birth of her baby and said, “you really should enjoy every moment at home with the baby.”
The Background
Emily Williams, who had been teaching at the school since 2022, attended the interview in June 2024 while still on maternity leave. She told the WRC that the principal’s comment felt unprofessional and inappropriate, particularly as it was made in front of the Board of Management (BOM) chairperson and an independent assessor.
The following day, Ms Williams was informed via email that her application had been unsuccessful, despite her greater experience compared to another candidate who ultimately secured the role.
The WRC Hearing
At the hearing, Ms Williams stated she felt the remark unfairly highlighted her maternity leave and influenced the interview outcome.
WRC Adjudicator Patricia Owens agreed, finding that the principal’s comment was:
“entirely inappropriate to raise during the interview process”
Owens noted that scoring of candidates had not yet been completed when the comment was made, meaning it could have impacted the decision.
The Board of Management failed to provide evidence explaining how the interview scores were determined, especially given that the successful candidate had less experience than Ms Williams.
The Decision
The WRC found that Ms Williams was discriminated against on the grounds of family status under the Employment Equality Acts.
The adjudicator awarded Ms Williams €85,000 in compensation, highlighting the importance of fair and unbiased recruitment processes.
What This Means for Employees
This case reinforces that family status, including being pregnant or on maternity leave, cannot be used against you in recruitment or employment decisions.
If you believe you’ve been treated unfairly in the workplace because of your family status, gender, or parental leave, you may be entitled to seek legal remedies under Irish employment law.
Need Help with a Discrimination Case?
At Employment Matters, we specialise in representing employees who’ve experienced workplace discrimination.
📞 Call us today on (051) 841 641
📧 Email us at info@employment-matters.ie
💻 Learn more at https://www.employment-matters.ie/
