Almost 75 per cent of decisions taken by the Equality Tribunal in the first three months of 2009 were not in favour of claimants, many of which are immigrants. From January to the end of March 2009, the tribunal made a total of 45 decisions. But only 12 of them were in favour of the claimants and resulted in some compensation payment to them.
In 22 decisions, the equality officers found against the claimants, while 11 cases were dismissed because the claimant had run out of time or failed to attend the hearing, or because the tribunal did not have jurisdiction over the case.
The rate of rejection was highest among cases dealing with discrimination in the workplace. Only five claimants were awarded damages out of a total of 23 cases. Most of these complaints came from immigrants, with over 40 per cent of cases brought by eastern Europeans.
In cases dealing with discrimination in access to services, seven cases were resolved in favour of claimants out of a total of 20 decisions. Many of these cases were brought by members of the Traveller community.
There has not been a significant increase in the number of new claims lodged with the tribunal, according to its spokesperson, who specified that 219 claims were referred to the Equality Tribunal in the first quarter of 2009, compared to 218 in the same quarter last year. The spokesperson issued no comment regarding the rate of rejection of claims.
The largest compensation payout so far this year was awarded to Zena Boyle, who was found to have been discriminated against on the grounds of gender by her employers. Boyle was awarded €30,000.
Lithuanian national Aidotas Gedrinas received an award of €20,000 for discriminatory dismissal and harassment he endured at work from his Irish colleagues and management.
Another Lithuanian, Laima Daugintiene, was awarded €5,000 for discriminatory treatment at work, which included taunts based on her nationality and gender.
