A woman who alleged sex discrimination after she was not given the opportunity for promotion while on maternity leave has settled the case for £215,000.
Maeve Bradley took the case against Citibank N.A. UK, supported by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
The case was settled without admission of liability.
Mrs Bradley worked for Citibank in Belfast as an assistant vice president. In the spring of 2023, she went on maternity leave and believed she was in line for a promotion on her return.
Ahead of her return, Mrs Bradley contacted a manager to let them know she had applied for reduced hours due to childcare needs.
Mrs Bradley said she was offered an alternative role but was not comfortable with this suggestion as she had no experience of the new position.
She said she asked if anybody on the team had been promoted and was told that the person covering her maternity leave had been promoted to a vice president role.
She said she believed this to be unlawful, as she was not given the opportunity for promotion while on maternity leave.
Mrs Bradley raised a formal grievance which was not upheld.
She said the company advised that performance is the deciding factor for whether someone gets promoted.
Mrs Bradley issued legal proceedings alleging sex discrimination.
Later she brought a further two claims alleging sex and disability discrimination and victimisation.
These were based on the time taken to deal with her grievance and her belief that there was a lack of adequate effort to support her return to work.
Mrs Bradley did not return to work and her employment with Citibank was terminated as part of the settlement.
She said: “For me, this experience has been incredibly stressful and disheartening.
“It came as quite a shock, that the individual hired to cover my role was promoted in my absence.
“I felt compelled to challenge this decision, not just for myself, but to ensure that no other woman is penalised for taking time off to have a child.”
Geraldine McGahey, chief commissioner at the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, said: “Issues around pregnancy and maternity in the workplace continue to be the most common complaints of sex discrimination made to the commission.
“The laws protecting women from sex discrimination were introduced almost 50 years ago to ensure women can return to and remain in the workforce and not be disadvantaged because of pregnancy or family responsibilities.
“Maeve should have been considered for the promotion.”
In settling the case, Citibank affirmed its commitment to equality of opportunity in employment and to ensuring that its policies, procedures and practices comply in all respects with its obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Sex Discrimination Northern Ireland Order 1976, and to ensure that staff are aware of these obligations.
The company agreed to liaise with the commission to review its equal opportunities policies, procedures and practices relating to the treatment of employees on maternity leave in Northern Ireland.
A spokesperson for Citi said: “We were keen to retain Ms Bradley as an employee at Citi and are disappointed that we were unable to reach an agreement on her return to work.
“We appreciate the engagement of Ms Bradley and the Equality Commission in resolving this matter.
“At Citi, we strive to foster an inclusive workplace, ensuring that our standards are well understood and complied with by everyone at Citi is a continuous, proactive process.”
