Labour Court sets aside €45,348.50 removal-expenses recommendation on Teagasc appeal

The Labour Court allowed Teagasc’s appeal and set aside a Rights Commissioner’s recommendation to reimburse a worker €45,348.50 in removal expenses. The decision was signed on 17 January 2013. The worker, a Programme Manager represented by the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union, sought expenses for a 2005 transfer from Mellows Agriculture College in Athenry, Co Galway, to Johnstown Castle, Wexford. The union said the amount was undisputed and that he had not been told to claim at the time. Teagasc argued that the claim was made almost five years late and that no deferral had been sought. The Court found that a claim had to be made at the time of transfer unless a deferral of up to 18 months was granted; none had been sought or granted.