Solas, the State’s further education and training authority, has been ordered to pay a 60-year-old employee €20,000
by the Workplace Relations Commission after it was found to have discriminated against him on the grounds of age.
The Solas employee, took a case to the WRC after he was asked in an interview if he should be “taking it easier”.
The employee had more than 20 years experience working as an instructor in information technology. In April 2014, he applied for the position of assistant manager in the Limerick Training Centre. The centre is now run by the Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board but was run by Solas at the time.
In its submission to the WRC, Solas denied that the question was asked. It claimed the employee was asked: “What motivates you to take on this role at this stage in your career?” It said the question was not ageist because the employee’s capacity in regard to age was not the intent.
In its ruling, the WRC criticised what it called Solas’s “attempt to misrepresent the situation”.
It said it found the employee to be “a compelling witness”, and it “fully accepted” that the question was asked in the way he suggested.
The State body was also told to “conduct a review of its policies and procedures in relation to its employment policies to ensure that they are in compliance with these Acts”.
A spokeswoman for Solas said that the organisation accepts all the findings of the WRC.
