Woman wins pregnancy harassment case

A creche worker who was harassed after becoming pregnant has been awarded €15,000 over the abuse.

A creche worker who was harassed after becoming pregnant has been awarded €15,000 over the abuse.

Louise Hennessy said the owners of the now closed Cherub Creche criticised her, forced her to do difficult tasks and colleagues even suggested staff should not become pregnant.

Ms Hennessy, who kept a diary of her treatment, insisted the harassment began after she broke the news of her pregnancy to her employers in April 2004.

According to a report from the Equality Tribunal, colleagues at the creche also telephoned her GP in October that year, without her consent, to discuss her pregnancy;

READ MORE

They criticised her cleaning, as she found it difficult to wash walls and skirting boards because of her pregnancy, as well as her pre-Montessori teaching skills.

In a separate decision, a Ukrainian woman was awarded €10,000 over her treatment by the Porturlin Shellfish Ltd, a seafood factory in Mayo.

Nataliya Golovan worked for the firm from early 2004 to 2005 and was paid the inimum wage at the time of €280 a week.

The Equality Tribunal said the company discriminated against her as it kept her assport longer than necessary and did not give her basic tax documents such as 60 forms in a timely manner.

Officials rejected claims that she was forced to pay her supervisor €10 a eek for a lift to work.

PA