Share

WRC Discrimination Case: Boots is liable for actions of security guard who excluded Roma woman from shop; ordered to pay compensation and provide equality training

25 September 2026

workplace_relations_commission_logo

  • Claudia Tanase (a Roma woman represented by FLAC) has succeeded in a discrimination complaint against Boots Retail (Ireland) Limited under the Equal Status Acts.
  • At the hearing of her complaint, Ms Tanase gave evidence of being refused entry to Boots on Henry Street, Dublin in October 2024 where she was seeking buy medicine for her sick child. She stated that a Security Guard refused her entry on the basis of her Roma ethnicity and that she was told by the Security Guard that he had been instructed not to admit members of the Roma community. In video evidence, the security guard was heard to refer to trouble with “you people”.
  • In a decision published today, the WRC Adjudicator ordered Boots to pay compensation to Ms Tanase and directed them to ensure that security personnel at its premises receive training on the requirements of the Equal Status Acts (which prohibit discrimination on a number of grounds in access to goods and services).
  • Notably, the WRC Adjudicator found that Boots was ‘vicariously liable’ for the actions of the security guard who was an employee of a third party: “The Respondent [Boots] appointed the employer of the guard, and it was the security guard who controlled entry to the premises and who interacted with customers in the course of providing the Respondent's services to the public.”
  • In its 2025 Annual Report, FLAC highlighted that its Roma Legal Clinic often hears from and represents Roma women who have experienced discrimination in seeking to access shops and called for the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission to issue a Code of Practice about non-discrimination in access to goods and services and, in particular, the role and responsibilities of security guards.

FLAC Managing Solicitor Sinéad Lucey commented today:

“FLAC very much welcomes today’s decision of the WRC. FLAC’s Roma Legal Clinic has acted for a significant number of Roma women who have experienced discrimination in a retail context. A common feature of these cases is that the incident giving rise to the complaint involved security guards employed by a separate security company and the retail outlet defends the case on the basis that it has no responsibility for the actions of those security guards. Today’s decision is an important reminder of the equality obligations on providers of goods and services and, in particular, that those obligations apply to security personnel.

Customers’ access to goods and services in shops is often dependent on the actions and decisions made by security guards. Equality policies adopted by shops and service providers should clearly apply to security guards and training should be provided so they are clear on their obligations and the limits of their discretion. There is a clear need for a statutory Code of Practice from the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission in this area.

ENDS

About FLAC

FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres) is an independent legal, human rights and equality organisation, which works in a number of different ways to promote equal access to justice:

  • In 2025, our Telephone Information and Referral Line responded to 14,103 queries. FLAC also provides Phone Legal Advice Clinics.
  • Our independent law centre provides targeted legal services for the Traveller and Roma communities and also undertakes public interest litigation (i.e. cases which may have an impact beyond the individual).
  • FLAC also operates PILA which facilitates NGOs to obtain legal assistance from private lawyers via its pro bono referral scheme.
  • FLAC makes policy recommendations in relation to areas of law that most impact on people living in poverty and disadvantage, including equality and anti-discrimination law, social welfare law, housing law, human rights law, and access to justice.

 

Share