Lidl Ordered to Pay €28,000 for Disability Discrimination Against Warehouse Employee
Lidl was ordered to pay €28,000 to employee Lukasz Swiercz for disability discrimination by the WRC. After a hernia diagnosis, Lidl failed to provide reasonable accommodation for his light duty restrictions, despite his GP's note. The company's actions were deemed discriminatory.
Lidl has been ordered to pay €28,000 to Lukasz Swiercz, a warehouse employee, for disability discrimination. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) made the award after Lidl Ireland GmbH failed to adjust his role following a hernia diagnosis.
Mr. Swiercz, a stock picker at Lidl's Newbridge, Co. Kildare warehouse, fell ill in January 2025 and was diagnosed with a hernia. He returned in March 2025 with a GP note for «light duties only, can do a desk job, no heavy lifting». A manager sent him home, stating he needed to be «fully fit». Logistics manager Phillip Byrne then informed Mr. Swiercz there was «no available position» for him.
After his solicitor intervened, Lidl referred Mr. Swiercz to occupational health on July 17, 2025. In late August, Lidl stated «light duties» were too restrictive for the warehouse but offered a «phased return basis». Mr. Swiercz began his phased return on September 15, 2025, gradually resuming usual duties.
Adjudication officer Elizabeth Spelman ruled that Lidl «failed to provide reasonable accommodation» and its actions constituted disability discrimination. She awarded €28,000, noting Lidl's failure to engage meaningfully with Mr. Swiercz until his solicitor became involved and its general refusal of reasonable accommodations for warehouse operatives. A previous back injury and settlement agreement from August 2021 did not exempt Lidl from its obligations.