Labour Court rejects Dawn Dairies appeal and reinstates €50 Sunday payment

The Labour Court rejected Dawn Dairies’ appeal and reinstated a €50 Sunday payment to a worker for the period from week 31 of 2006 to week 40 of 2007. Its decision was dated 17 December 2007. The worker, represented by the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union, had been employed as a driver-sales person for about six years. The union said Sunday-working conditions remained in place after the payment was withdrawn and some colleagues continued to receive it. Dawn Dairies argued that the worker’s earnings had increased under a new commission structure and that continuing the payment would mean a further €3,100. The Court said the payment should be reinstated for the period in question. An unappealed part of the Rights Commissioner’s recommendation, that the worker work one Sunday in four and cooperate with handheld computers, remained unchanged.