Labour Court upholds acting Purchasing Officer appointment at North Tipperary County Council

The Labour Court upheld a recommendation that a North Tipperary County Council worker be appointed Purchasing Officer in an acting capacity from 1 September 2004. It said the acting-up payment should cease from the date of the recommendation. The decision was signed on 16 February 2006. The union had sought Grade VI grading for the post, arguing that its purchasing and procurement responsibilities justified the higher grade. The Council said the new post had similar responsibilities to the worker’s Storekeeper role. The Court found the Purchasing Officer duties were not significantly different from those of the Grade V Storekeeper post, so it saw no justification for Grade VI grading. It upheld the recommendation, with the acting-up payment to stop because the post had been created and was not graded at Grade VI.