Geraldine McGahey

Seamus Gillespie, from Co Fermanagh, began working for well-known bakery WD Irwin and Sons Ltd in 1991.

He alleged that he was told in early 2021 that the company was looking for younger professional people from a blue-chip background in the context of recruitment for new staff. He believes this was because the company thought the age profile of staff within the business was a problem.

He also alleged that he was informed that he would lose some accounts when a vacant post of ‘business unit controller’ was to be filled. He believed that this resulted in him losing a significant proportion of his work.

He felt his role was diminished and that he was left in a vulnerable position for possible future redundancy.

In August 2022, Mr Gillespie was informed of a project involving changes in distribution. He believed that he should have been included in the relevant discussions because it impacted upon his work.

Mr Gillespie was advised in September 2022 that his post was at risk of redundancy. He was placed in a redundancy pool of one.

During subsequent redundancy meetings, he claims that comments were made regarding the need to get some new blood and of the age profile of the senior management team being all of one ilk and age. Mr Gillespie was made redundant, and his appeal was not upheld.

Geraldine McGahey, chief commissioner in the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, said: “Seamus gave 30 years of his working life to Irwin’s Bakery and still had a lot to offer. He felt that his age was a problem for his employer and believes that was why he was made redundant.

“In Northern Ireland it is unlawful to discriminate against employees because of their age. Older workers have experience, skills and attributes that our economy needs to thrive, they are assets to their employers just like every other employee.

“It is imperative that employers have robust policies and practices in place to prevent any potential instances of age discrimination and that staff are adequately trained to use them.”

In settling the case, WD Irwin and Sons Ltd denied any liability and reaffirmed its strong commitment to the principle of equality of opportunity in employment and to ensuring that they comply in all respects with their obligations under equality law.

The company agreed to liaise with the Equality Commission to review policies, practices and procedures and their application to ensure that they are effective and conform with the requirements of the Employment Equality Age Regulations (NI) 2006. The case was settled without admission of liability.