Labour Court upholds recommendation on North Western Health Board midwives’ Y2K bonus claim

In 2002, the Labour Court upheld a Rights Commissioner's recommendation that three midwives had no entitlement to a Y2K loyalty bonus, rejecting the Irish Nurses Organisation's appeal. The decision was dated 10 June 2002. The midwives had helped implement a new maternity computer system as part of the Year 2000 upgrade. The union argued that they were assigned to the project and had shown loyalty by remaining on it; North Western Health Board said the scheme covered designated skilled IT staff, not user personnel. The Court found that the midwives did not come within the scheme and were precluded by clause 7 of the circular.