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A sales manager at a well-known Northern Ireland bakery has been awarded £75,000 (€87,690) after his former employer settled an age discrimination case.
Seamus Gillespie (60) worked at WD Irwin and Sons bakery from 1991 until he was made redundant in August 2022.
The company settled the age discrimination case but did not admit liability. The case was supported by the Northern Ireland Equality Commission.
Gillespie said he was told in early 2021 that the company was looking for younger employees from “blue-chip backgrounds” when recruiting new employees.
He also claimed he was told he would lose some accounts while filling the vacant position of finance director of the business unit. He believes this resulted in him losing a significant portion of his job.
In September 2022, Mr Gillespie was informed that his position was at risk of being made redundant. He was placed in a layoff pool.
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At a subsequent layoff meeting, he claimed someone made a comment about the need to bring in some new blood.
After the settlement, Mr Gillespie said he had worked at Owens for more than 30 years, enjoyed his job and was a loyal employee.
“But after discussions with management, it became abundantly clear to me that my career with the company was over. I firmly believe that the decision to terminate me was solely based on my age,” he said.
“I had no choice but to challenge my treatment. I am pleased that my case has now been resolved, although I would rather this never happened in the first place.”
Geraldine McGahey, chief commissioner of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, said: “Employers must have strong policies and practices in place to prevent any potential situations of age discrimination and staff must receive adequate training to use these. Policies and Practices”.
At the hearing of the case, WD Irwin and Sons Ltd denied any liability and reiterated its firm commitment to the principle of equal opportunities in employment and ensuring that it complies in all respects with its obligations under the Equality Act.
They agree to liaise with the Equality Commission to review policies, practices and procedures and their application to ensure they are effective and comply with the requirements of the Age Equality in Employment Regulations 2006 (NI). The case was settled with no admission of liability.
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