The former RTÉ presenter Valerie Cox was awarded €50,000 yesterday by the Workplace Relations Commission after they found the broadcaster had discriminated against her on age grounds.
The WRC was told Ms Cox, who was employed by RTÉ for 21 years before her retirement in 2016, had two separate contracts of employment with two separate sets of terms and conditions.
Speaking on Sean O’Rourke this morning, Ms Cox said: “I loved working with you, it was a lovely, lovely job. I would have loved to have stayed on, I don’t know how long for but I would have loved it.
“I’m working as a freelance journalist and still loving it. It’s one of the best jobs in the world,” she said.
Ms Cox was on two contracts with RTE. The first contract, dating from August 2004, was a full-time contract of direct employment, which involved work as a radio reporter on programmes including Today with Sean O’Rourke. It was from this position that she retired when her contract terminated on March 8th, 2016 when she turned 65.
The second contract was a freelance contract for the ‘What It Says In The Papers’ slot on RTE Radio’s flagship programme ‘Morning Ireland’, as well as early morning slots on the weekends.
Ms Cox claims that when she contacted RTE to resume her freelance contract work after her a short break, she was advised told by RTE that she could not come return due to her age.
RTE said it did not comment on specific cases, regardless if they were planning to appeal the ruling or not.
The WRC ruling has been described as a “landmark decision” by politicians. Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin commented that Ms Cox’s case will the first of many on the basis of ageism as people seek to work later in life and he urged Government to prioritise legislation which will abolish the compulsory retirement age of 65 from many sectors of the public service.
Reacting to the ruling Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Conveney reacted to the ruling by announcing that he plans to remove the compulsory retirement age are being advanced and will come into effect “as soon as possible”. In the meantime interim arrangements have been put in.