Labour Court sets aside overtime recommendation in Bord Gais dispute

The Labour Court set aside a Rights Commissioner’s recommendation in an appeal by a worker represented by the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union against Bord Gais. It was signed on 10 December 2010. The union said restrictions on overtime and mileage were unfair and affected the worker’s ability to do his job. The employer said the worker’s workload had fallen and its controls were needed to manage costs. The Court found the seven hours of pre-approved weekly overtime applied appropriately to all staff, and upheld the 60-mile weekly business travel limit. It found the office-only requirement unreasonable, saying the worker should be able to work unused overtime hours over a reasonable period and do field overtime in proportion to his field duties. The company must consider requests for additional overtime or travel reasonably and promptly.