A Northern Ireland Industrial Tribunal has ordered Westville Hospitality Limited to pay £20,488.79 to a former hotel receptionist after finding the company committed unlawful indirect sex discrimination, breached her contract, and unfairly dismissed her. The decision in case 3870/24IT was issued on 24 July 2026 following hearings held in Belfast on 4, 5 and 7 November 2025.

Anna Owens began working as a receptionist at the respondent's hotel on 30 November 2021. Before accepting the role, she told the hotel's general manager, Patrick McCanny, that she required a fixed three-day working week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays because of childcare arrangements she had in place with a registered childminder. The tribunal found that McCanny, who held HR responsibility for hotel employees and who had made the arrangements with the knowledge of the front office manager responsible for rotas, expressly agreed to those terms. Owens's written contract stated her hours were 24 per week worked Monday to Sunday as per rota, but the tribunal found the parties' agreement was not wholly contained in that document. The fixed pattern was honoured for more than 20 months under subsequent managers.

In or around June 2023, Martin Daly joined the hotel as general manager. On 16 July 2023, he telephoned Owens and told her that in the interests of fairness to other receptionists, she would be required to work a fully flexible week. When Owens referred to her childcare agreement, Daly told her her childcare arrangements had nothing to do with him and were her responsibility. From the week ending 30 July 2023, Daly began issuing rotas that allocated Owens varying shifts with as little as one to three days' notice, without consultation. In the period from July to mid-November 2023, Owens was allocated twelve fewer shifts than her contractual entitlement.

Owens raised a formal grievance on 21 August 2023, citing breach of contract and indirect sex discrimination. The tribunal found that the respondent's grievance process was inadequate. The company's group commercial director, Regina Jones, conducted an internet search but did not seek external advice or contact any former managers - including McCanny or others who had overseen Owens's rota - to investigate the contractual position. The grievance outcome letter did not address the verbal agreement Owens alleged or her indirect discrimination complaint. An appeal heard by the company's chief executive, Nicky Cassidy, also failed to address the issues Owens had set out in her written appeal letter. The tribunal found that no attempt was made to resolve her concerns.

After a period in October and early November 2023 during which Owens received her original three-day pattern, Jones confirmed on 3 November 2023 that the pre-July arrangement would not be restored. On 14 November 2023, Owens resigned by email, stating she had no alternative given the respondent's failure to accommodate her shift requirements. The tribunal identified that email from Jones as the last straw.

The tribunal found that the respondent imposed a provision, criterion or practice requiring reception staff to work flexibly across any day of the week. Drawing on established case law, the tribunal took judicial notice of the fact that women continue to bear a disproportionate share of primary childcare responsibilities, and found that the PCP placed Owens at a particular disadvantage. Owens lived alone with her then four-year-old child, her partner lived at a separate address and was required to work weekends, and her registered childminder did not work at weekends. The tribunal was not persuaded the respondent had established that the PCP was a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim, and found unlawful indirect sex discrimination had occurred. The claim of less favourable treatment on grounds of part-time status was dismissed.

In calculating the award, the tribunal found it just and equitable to assess compensation on the basis of discrimination rather than unfair dismissal alone, meaning neither the statutory cap nor recoupment applied. Injury to feelings was assessed at £13,000, placed in the lower to middle end of the middle Vento band, reflecting the stress and anxiety Owens experienced over a five-month period and the aggravating effect of the respondent's failure to meaningfully engage with her concerns. The tribunal applied a 10% uplift across compensation awards under Article 90AA of the Industrial Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1992, having found the respondent unreasonably failed to comply with the LRA Code of Practice on grievance procedures. Interest was added to both the compensatory and injury to feelings awards. The total award was £20,488.79.

Owens was represented by Barry Mulqueen, barrister-at-law, instructed by Therese Connolly of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. The respondent was represented by Sean Doherty, barrister-at-law, instructed by Peter Bowles of Peter Bowles and Co, Solicitors.