Austrian man passed over for promotion wins gender discrimination case

Peter Franzmayr sued after failing to gain an internal promotion in the country’s transport ministry in 2011.

The job went instead to Ursula Zechner, then head of the rail regulator.

Austria’s Federal Administrative Court agreed with Mr Franzmayr and ruled last month that there was a “discernible pattern, according to which was treated more favourably than the other candidates from the beginning”.

Mr Franzmayr will be given €317,368, which takes into account the money he would have earned in the job in addition to damages, according to the Die Presse newspaper.

Doris Burns, transport minister at the time, said all legal procedures had been followed and that the final decision had been made as a result of the “massive under-representation of women”.

“I hope the current decision doesn’t call into the question the principle of encouraging the promotion of women,” she said in a statement.