Labour Court rejects EMT’s claim for full on-call duty rate

The Labour Court did not recommend that HSE West pay an emergency medical technician the full duty rate for on-call periods. Its decision was dated 16 April 2013. The worker, represented by the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union, said he had to remain at the Carrick on Shannon base while on call. HSE West said he did not have to attend the base but had to stay close enough to respond within a reasonable time. The Court found his contractual on-call requirements were no different from those of colleagues based there, who received the duty rate when called out. It also said management should clarify call-out requirements to promote consistency, taking account of working-time obligations and continuity of service.