A shop assistant has been awarded £1,235 after it was found she had worked for more than 10 years on lower rates of pay than a male colleague. An equality officer made the award against her employer, O'Sullivan Darcy Engineering Ltd. The claim was made by MANDATE on behalf of Ms Carmel Looney, who has worked in Killarney Household and Gifts since 1988. The equality officer found Ms Looney did similar work to a male employee, also a sales assistant, in Killarney Hardware, which is also owned by O'Sullivan Darcy Engineering Ltd. She was awarded three years' pay arrears. The equality officer also said her pay should be increased from £195.00 a week to £202.92.