Ryanair employee's claim that her 'tight skirt' caused her back injury thrown out

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Agnieszka Spyra, 35, said she injured her back at a check-in desk in Dublin
She said she was lifting a suitcase and placing it on a conveyor belt
A judge dismissed any suggestion that her Ryanair uniform was to blame
Spyra gave conflicting statements on whether she was sitting or standing

Published: 06:00 EST, 17 November 2015 | Updated: 07:05 EST, 17 November 2015

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A judge has thrown out a former Ryanair employee’s claim that she suffered an on-the-job back injury due to the ‘tight skirt’ she was required to wear.

Agnieszka Spyra was seeking £26,000 (€38,000) in damages from the budget carrier and a recruiting firm, but can appeal to Ireland’s High Court after a judge dismissed her claim that her uniform contributed to her injury.

The 35-year-old said she hurt her back when she turned to lift a light bag and place it on a conveyor belt at a check-in desk at Dublin Airport.

Agnieszka Spyra said she suffered a back injury when she lifted a bag at a Ryanair check-in desk (file photo)

The claim was thrown out by Judge Jacqueline Linnane after Spyra, from Swords, County Dublin, gave conflicting statements about how she suffered the injury.

She told Injuries Board investigators and her doctor that she was seated when she suffered the injury in July 2011, the Irish Independent reported.

But she told a Circuit Civil Court that she was standing when she lifted the 8kg (18lb) suitcase and felt a shooting pain in her lower back, the newspaper reported.

She was also unable to prove that Ryanair had failed to provide training on how to safely handle passengers’ luggage.

Spyra, 35, claimed that the 'tight skirt' she was required to wear contributed to her back injury

In her decision, Judge Linnane ordered Spyra to cover Ryanair and Mk Human Resources’ legal costs, but the order was stayed as the ex-airline employee considers a High Court appeal.

Barrister Adrianne Fields, counsel for Ryanair and Mk Human Resources, disagreed with Spyra's claim that the uniform contributed to her injury.

The barrister told the judge that she would have to consider whether the injury was due to training or whether Spyra was sitting or standing, the Irish Independent reported.