Courts / Waterford / Report
Firefighters compensated for underpayment on public holidays
Summary
Two firefighters, Sub‑Station Officers Robert Bible and Michael Malone, received €1,000 each in compensation and back‑pay for being under‑paid on public holidays. The cases were decided by the Workplace Relations Commission after the firefighters, who work an eight‑day roster with two daytime and two overnight shifts, argued that their public‑holiday pay should be calculated as a fraction of their weekly pay. The commission ruled that the council had breached the Organisation of Working Time Act by excluding overtime, meal allowance, Saturday premium and night premiums from the public‑holiday calculation, but that Sunday and night premiums should have been included. The council was ordered to pay the firefighters €181.76 and €162.41 respectively for losses on Christmas, St Patrick's Day and the May Bank Holiday in the six months before the complaints. A third firefighter, Ross Skelly, is still awaiting a decision.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Firefighters compensated for underpayment on public holidays. Charges or matters: underpayment for working public holidays. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial
When:
- 3 March Hearing Or Sentence
- Christmas Other
- 2022-03-29 Publication
Why: On that occasion, Ms Malone argued that the firefighters' fortnightly payslips did vary because their eight-day shift pattern caused some of their shifts to land on weekends as the pattern advanced – but there was no variation to the premium rates themselves. CNI source report
Case subjects
Applicant
Charges: underpayment for working public holidays (Alleged Or Contested)
Places mentioned
Topics
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