Transgender worker loses discrimination claim against hotel after being 'forced' to wear part of male uniform

Seán McCárthaigh

A transgender worker in a Dublin hotel has lost a claim that she was discriminated against after claiming she was “forced” to wear part of a male uniform at work.

The Workplace Relations Commission ruled that the company which operates The Address Connolly hotel on Amiens Street, Dublin had not breached the Employment Equality Act 1998 on grounds of gender.

The hotel, which was previously known as the North Star Hotel, is run by B C McGettigan Limited.

Hotel worker Valentina Neri claimed she was “obligated” and “forced” to wear a male jacket in May 2025 a month after she had started working in the hotel.

Neri claimed she had been provided with a uniform when she began her job but was presented with a jacket and trousers on May 11th, 2024.

While she was happy to wear the trousers, she told her supervisor she was uncomfortable wearing a jacket which she believed was part of a male uniform.

Neri told the WRC that having to wear the jacket when identifying as a woman had caused her distress.

She accepted that no discriminatory remarks had been made during the incident, but maintained that having to wear a male jacket amounted to discrimination and harassment.

Evidence

In evidence, Neri also acknowledged that the hotel’s front office supervisor had attempted to help her resolve the situation by trying to find another jacket.

The WRC heard there was a dispute between the parties over whether she had been informed that she could wear one of the female jackets belonging to her front office colleagues which were kept in a back office.

A hotel representative denied that any discrimination or harassment had occurred.

The representative explained that a delay had arisen in providing uniforms to staff due to stock availability and employees had been allowed to wear their own clothes for a period.

The hotel said Neri was informed she did not have to wear the specific jacket if she felt uncomfortable with it but that she would need to wear some jacket in accordance with the hotel’s uniform policy.

Grievance meeting

The WRC heard that the hotel held a grievance meeting on May 14th, 2025 following Neri’s complaint at which she declined to pursue the matter further.

The hotel stressed that the incident which arose about the jacket was unrelated to Neri’s gender.

The front office supervisor told the WRC that the instruction he had received from hotel management was that Neri was required to wear a jacket rather than a gender-specific garment.

He gave evidence that he had seen her wearing a jacket before the end of her shift and understood the issue had been resolved.

WRC adjudication officer Christina Ryan accepted that Neri experienced genuine upset arising from the incident.

However, Ryan said the evidence of the front office supervisor was clear, consistent and credible and that the complainant was instructed that she did not have to wear a particular jacket.

Uniform store

She noted that access to the uniform store was restricted at the time of the incident to HR personnel who were not working that weekend.

Ryan also acknowledged that other staff tried to resolve the issue by locating any available uniform.

The WRC official said she was satisfied that the issue which arose occurred in the context of operational constraints rather than anything to do with Neri’s gender identity.

She also pointed out that the complainant had submitted a photo which showed female uniform jackets hanging in a back office which Neri had accepted were available but did not attempt to wear one.

Dismissing the complaint, Ryan said it undermined Neri’s assertion that she was compelled to wear a male jacket.

She also ruled that Neri was not subject to any harassment because she is transgender.