The complainant is a Lithuanian national and was employed by the respondent from May 2007 until the 28th November 2008 when her employment was terminated. The complainant worked in the respondent garden centre shop as a sales assistant and cashier. She said that she and another Lithuanian woman worked in the shop and there were other Irish employees working in the garden centre and doing landscaping. The respondent's wife helped out in the shop on a part-time basis. The complainant notified the respondent that she was pregnant shortly after it was confirmed. 

On the 10th of November 2008, when the complainant was about 5 months' pregnant and about 2 weeks before the other Lithuanian employee was due to return from maternity leave, the complainant was informed that she was being let go for a few months due to a shortage of work. The other Lithuanian employee was also let go. A few weeks after that she got her P45 which indicated her employment was terminated on the 28th of November 2008. 

The complainant said that she understood from the respondent that she would be taken back after a couple of months and despite telephoning him looking for her job back she was not taken back. She said that the other employee who was let go lives beside the garden centre and informed her that it had remained open. She submits that she believes she was dismissed for reasons connected with her pregnancy and she believes that she is supported in this view by the fact that she and the other woman on maternity leave were the only employees let go.

The respondent failed to turn up and the Equality Officer awarded £18k, about €5k less than the maximum possible award in this case of €22,940.

http://www.equalitytribunal.ie/Database-of-Decisions/2011/Employment-Equality-Decisions/DEC-E2011-154-Full-Case-Report.html