A man has lodged a complaint against the Department of Social Protection, alleging discrimination after being required to collect his unemployment payments from a local post office rather than having the funds transferred to his bank account, reports The Mirror.
At a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) adjudication hearing today, 38-year-old Pavel Konosonok compared the department’s actions to how “people in Nazi Germany” were treated.
Mr Konosonok had been receiving his welfare payments via direct bank deposit for over two years until, in September 2023, he was instructed to collect future payments from a post office in Athlone, reports The Mirror.
The change was part of a broader transition away from electronic funds transfers (EFTs), which had been widely adopted during the Covid-19 public health restrictions.
Three payments were issued to the post office but were never collected by Mr Konosonok. As a result, his welfare payments were halted, reports The Mirror.
He claimed that being made to collect payments from a post office amounted to discrimination on every ground protected under the Equal Status Acts, including age, sexual orientation, disability, and Traveller status.
When asked by WRC adjudicator David James Murphy why he did not retrieve the payments, Mr Konosonok did not provide an answer, but said the directive had left him homeless, scavenging from bins, and collecting Deposit Return Scheme bottles to afford food, reports The Mirror.
“Animals in the zoo would be treated better than I am at the moment,” he said, alleging that the department viewed him as “less than human” and “enjoy torturing people like myself”, reports The Mirror.
Mr Konosonok stated: “people in Nazi Germany were treated better”, and added: “I’m not surprised that some people commit suicide after dealing with social welfare,” reports The Mirror.
Mr Murphy asked for clarification on whether he was equating the instruction to attend Athlone Post Office with a “Nazi German approach”.
“They tried to force me to receive payments by their choice of payment, not my choice,” said Mr Konosonok, adding that “Ukrainians” received EFT payments, whereas he did not. “It’s actually shocking,” he added, reports The Mirror.
When Mr Murphy asked again why he didn’t collect the payments from the post office, Mr Konosonok—who declined to take an oath or affirmation before testifying—said: “I don’t have to explain.”
He alleged the department had decided to “penalise me, victimise me, torture me, deprive me”, and as a result, he had received no payments in over two years.
Mark Rodgers, who represented the department and the Minister for Social Protection, said payments via post offices were reintroduced following the end of pandemic-related public health measures, reports The Mirror.
He noted that the department had the legal authority to determine payment methods under a statutory instrument introduced in 2007 and pointed out that Mr Konosonok had signed a document nominating Athlone Post Office for his payments.
Mr Rodgers also maintained that this statutory instrument meant the discrimination complaint could not be upheld, as Section 14 of the Equal Status Act excludes actions required by law, reports The Mirror.
The WRC hearing was suspended, and Mr Konosonok was given until October 27 to respond to the department’s submissions. A final decision will be issued by Mr Murphy at a later date.
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