Claire had been working for her employer for just over three months when she decided to tell them she was pregnant. She'd been doing well in her role, receiving no complaints about her work, and she wanted to be upfront about her situation. Two weeks after that conversation, she was called into the office and dismissed. The employer cited "performance issues" as the reason, but there was nothing in writing — no warnings, no meetings about concerns, nothing that suggested there had ever been any problem with how she was doing her job.
Claire felt confused and hurt. She knew that her performance hadn't suddenly become an issue overnight. The timing felt deliberate, and she suspected her pregnancy had something to do with it. She reached out for advice because she wasn't sure if she had any rights, especially since she hadn't been with the company for two years.
It turned out that Claire had strong legal protection. Because she'd been dismissed for a reason connected to her pregnancy, the law treated it as automatically unfair — meaning the normal rules about how long you need to have worked somewhere didn't apply. Her employer couldn't use the fact that she was still within probation as a shield. The law is clear: dismissing someone because they're pregnant, or because they've told you they're pregnant, is automatically unfair dismissal, no matter how long they've been in the job. Claire's case was settled, and she received compensation for her lost wages and the unfairness she'd experienced.
Under Irish employment law, dismissing an employee because of pregnancy, maternity leave, or anything connected to pregnancy is automatically unfair dismissal. This protection applies from the moment a woman becomes pregnant, regardless of whether she's still in her probation period. Normally, an employee needs to have worked for at least two years to claim unfair dismissal, but this rule doesn't apply to pregnancy-related dismissals. The law recognises that discrimination on grounds of pregnancy is a serious breach of equality rights, and it provides special protection to pregnant workers.
If you've been dismissed and believe it was connected to your pregnancy, you must file a claim with the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) within six months of your dismissal date. This deadline is important and usually cannot be extended. If you're considering taking action, it's worth getting advice as soon as possible so you don't miss this window.
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