Labour Court directs HSE West to refund excess allowance deductions

The Labour Court affirmed a Rights Commissioner’s recommendation limiting how much an HSE West worker had to repay after an allowance overpayment, and directed the employer to refund deductions beyond that limit within six weeks. The decision was dated 11 July 2012. The Services Industrial Professional Technical Union said management oversight caused the extra payments and that the worker had queried them. HSE West said the allowance was paid incorrectly and it sought repayment when the overpayment came to light. The Court disallowed the worker’s appeal but affirmed the recommendation, under which repayment was limited to overpayments made in the final three years before they ceased.