Labour Court upholds €5,000 recommendation in Clare County Council worker dispute

In 2007, the Labour Court upheld a Rights Commissioner’s recommendation that Clare County Council make a worker a €5,000 goodwill payment. The Court signed its decision on 13 August 2007, following the Council’s appeal; the worker did not appeal. The dispute followed the worker’s workplace bullying allegations. An investigation found they were not substantiated but recognised work-related difficulties that caused upset and distress to both parties. The worker, represented by SIPTU, had moved to a Health and Safety post at a lower salary grade. The Council argued the payment was disproportionate and offered to return the worker to the Executive Engineer salary scale. She declined. The Court considered the offer a genuine attempt to bring the matter to a close but found no reason to disagree with the Rights Commissioner’s conclusions, and upheld the recommendation.