Most claims are resolved without going to hearing before the Workplace Relations Commission , with many settling under the mediation service offered by the WRC, he said. His firm’s experience was that some 70 per cent of cases settle.
That limit begins from the date of the act of discrimination and is “quite short”. If the alleged discrimination happened before the woman went on maternity leave, she could return to work afterwards only to find her claim was statute barred, he said. The WRC does not make significant awards and it is “very difficult” to get a pregnancy discrimination claim over the line at a hearing, he cautioned.
The woman returned to work after her fourth pregnancy not as soon as her employer wanted but sooner than she had hoped, he said. The firm was instructed that her employer treated her “quite appallingly” and gave her menial tasks below her managerial status.