A judgment of €19,000 has been awarded to an employee after being subjected to persistent sexual harassment by co-workers at her initial job post-school at a Domino’s Pizza outlet. This included sexual propositions, suggestions to sign up to “OnlyFans”, and given a name tag featuring a breast image. The staff, she asserted, would often whistle lewdly at passing women, painting her ordinary actions in a sexual light.
Confiding mainly in her friends rather than her mother about the situation, Jasmine Olaru recounted her experiences at the Workplace Relations Commission earlier this year. She was a mere 18 and still in secondary school when she started her work at the establishment’s counter in February 2022, making it her first job ever.
Now, the employment tribunal has commanded Remo Foods Ltd, the operator of the pizza shop, to compensate Ms Olaru with €16,000 on the grounds of sexual harassment and victimisation, breaching the Employment Equality Act of 1998. An additional €3,000 must be paid for contravening the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997.
Remo Foods, an entity that operates 23 Domino’s Pizza outlets across the republic, has also been directed to re-evaluate the practicality of its policies against sexual harassment and its training protocol, in light of the verdict.
Ms Olaru, in her statement, noted that the assistant manager, Mr B, on multiple occasions threatened to “spank” her using the pizza oven shovel, proposed her to create pornography on “OnlyFans”, and even inquired if he could watch while she changed into her uniform.
Ms Olaru, along with another employee, reported to work on July 29th, 2022 without their nametags. They were reprimanded by Mr B, the deputy manager. The latter, along with another manager Mr C and a male colleague Mr G, went to a back office, and emerged with nametags. Ms Olaru’s tag bore a picture of breasts which upset her greatly, leading her to seek solace in a back room where she wept for a couple of hours. Despite Mr B’s claim that it was meant as a joke, Ms Olaru didn’t find it amusing.
Following her resignation in September 2022, Ms Olaru reported that her working hours were cut short on two separate instances by the management. Jason Murray BL, her lawyer, advised by Martin O’Donnell LLB of Morgan Redmond Solicitors, claimed this to be a clear case of victimisation as a repercussion of her report of harassment to the store’s chief manager.
Ms Elizabeth Spelman, the adjudicator, stated that Ms Olaru’s testimony was compelling and unqestioned, providing intricate details of dates, names, and places, along with solid evidence—the ostracising nametag that Ms Olaru had saved and brought to the hearing. Ms Spelman pointed out the respondent produced no witness to oppose the allegations made by Ms Olaru.
Ms Spelman deduced a violation of the Employment Equality Act, declaring that Ms Olaru was prejudiced and sexually bothered. She awarded Ms Olaru €13,000 as compensation—the highest possible amount as Ms Olaru had already exited from the job when she lodged the complaint. Additionally, Ms Olaru received a compensation of €3,000 for victimisation under the same act, and the same amount again because it was found she did not have breaks that followed the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 regulations. The overall compensation awarded in this case amounted to €19,000.