Eilis Barry

FLAC represented the mother and daughters, who have not been named, in the proceedings before the Workplace Relations Commission.

At a hearing in February 2025, the mother said she brought her daughters to the beauty salon in July 2023 as “a birthday treat” for one of them but they were discriminated against in a number of ways.

She said they were asked to pay for their treatments in advance, skipped in the queue and shouted at by a manager.

In three related decisions, adjudication officer Orla Jones found the complaint well founded and ruled that all three were discriminated against on the grounds of membership of the Traveller community.

The beauty salon was ordered to pay €500 to each of the three complainants.

In a statement, the mother said: “I am delighted with the decisions of the WRC. We did not take these cases for money, we wanted to challenge the unfair way we were treated.

“As a mother, I want my girls to know that people cannot and should not treat them badly because they come from the Traveller community.

“We could not have taken these cases without Sinéad Lucey, FLAC’s managing solicitor, and FLAC’s Traveller legal service.

“I am very grateful to them for the support they provided to us and for the service they provide to members of the Traveller community.”

Eilis Barry, FLAC chief executive, said: “These decisions are a stark reminder of the barriers and discrimination which Travellers constantly face in accessing services that the general population take for granted. The family showed great bravery and resilience in taking these complaints.

“Unfortunately, there is no legal aid for victims of discrimination who take cases to the WRC. This means it is impossible for many people to challenge discrimination and to access compensation for its effects.

“We need to see urgent action on foot of the review of the civil legal aid scheme, including the removal of the blanket ban on legal aid for cases heard by tribunals like the WRC and the provision of properly-resourced dedicated legal services for Travellers and other groups with high levels of legal need.

“We would welcome a code of practice on access to goods and services from IHREC so that shops, pubs and all retail services are provided with detailed guidance on their responsibilities under the Equal Status Acts.

“We also hope to see the Equality Bill 2024 advanced urgently. It includes a number of important proposals to improve our anti-discrimination legislation, including a significant increase in the — currently very low — level of compensation available in discrimination cases.”