Labour Court rejects union's appeal over SNA hours at St Sylvester's Infant School

The Labour Court rejected the Irish Municipal, Public and Civil Trade Union's appeal on behalf of a worker over reduced hours at St Sylvester's Infant School. The decision was dated 29 September 2010. The union had challenged a Rights Commissioner's recommendation against the worker's claim that seniority rules should have protected her hours. After a review, the Special Education Needs Officer sanctioned six SNA posts of 12.5 hours a week. The principal reduced five assistants' hours from 23.5 to 12.5 hours, with one already on 12.5 hours. The union argued that seniority under Department of Education and Science Circular 0059/2006 should have been applied, while the school said it followed the authorised allocation and risked losing funding if it did otherwise. The Court found seniority did not need to be applied in those circumstances and the appeal failed.