When you experience discrimination, you can do something about it.
All complaints under the Employment Equality Acts and the Equal Status Acts may be brought to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).
We are here to give you information about your rights under equality and human rights law in Ireland.
How do you know if you have experienced discrimination?
Discrimination is when someone treats you worse or ‘less favourably’ than another person is, has been, or would be treated, in a similar situation, because you fall under the ‘protected grounds’.
You can experience discrimination in four different ways:
- directly
- indirectly
- by imputation
- by association
Who can you complain to?
Complaints under the Employment Equality Acts and the Equal Status Acts are made to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).
The WRC deals with claims related to employment and to services or goods, including education, housing, membership clubs and certain cases relating to pubs.
Note that there are very strict timeframes to complain.
Watch our video to see some examples of discrimination, learn about your rights and find out how to make a complaint.
Watch our video with audio description
What are the protected grounds?
There are nine grounds that are protected under both the Employment Equality Acts and the Equal Status Acts.
The Equal Status Acts have one additional ground.
What equality laws protect you?
The main laws that protect you against discrimination are:
- The Employment Equality Acts (EEA), which protect you from discrimination at work.
- The Equal Status Acts (ESA), which protect you against discrimination when accessing goods or services.
- The Intoxicating Liquor Act (ILA), which protects you against discrimination on or at the point of entry to a licensed premises
Frequently Asked Questions
No.
The Your Rights Service can only provide you with information. We cannot give you legal advice or comment on any individual case.
This means that we can tell you what the law says, but we cannot tell you how the law applies to your situation, or what you should do next.
If you think you need legal advice, you should talk to a solicitor, who can advise you.
We are unable to facilitate drop-in queries at our offices.
Factsheets
We have developed a series of factsheets on a range of topical themes emerging from our legal case work.
These factsheets will give you detailed information about specific topics.
Please note that they are for information only and are not legal advice.
Report Discriminatory Advertisements
If you have seen an advertisement that shows discrimination, you can report it to us.
We have the power to bring discrimination complaints/cases in our own name before the Workplace Relations Commission (‘WRC’) where it appears that discrimination under the Employment Equality Acts or Equal Status Acts has occurred and it is not reasonable to expect the person who has been the subject of that discrimination to bring a case.
I don't see my issue?
Not all differences of treatment are seen as discrimination under Ireland’s equality laws.
This means that the Workplace Relations Commission, as the main body responsible for deciding on discrimination in Ireland, may not be able to assist you if you feel you have been discriminated against for a reason other than one of the protected categories of people (protected grounds).
Disclaimer
The information provided by the Your Rights Information Service, including the information on this website, is provided for information purposes only.
It does not constitute a legal analysis of any individual’s particular situation.
We try to ensure that the information we provide is accurate and up to date. However, it is not a legal interpretation of the law and should not be relied on as legal advice.
For any professional or legal advice, all individuals should consult a suitably qualified person.
*Please note that we are unable to facilitate drop-in queries at our offices.*