Labour Court upholds HSE worker’s claim on hours and annual leave

The Labour Court upheld a Catering Manager’s claim against the HSE, directing it to align her hours and annual leave with those for newly appointed Grade VII staff. The decision was dated 18 April 2013. The worker was employed at Roscommon Hospital and represented by the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union. The union said she worked 39 hours a week and had 26 days’ annual leave, compared with 34 hours and 32 days for Grade VII staff. The HSE argued that employment terms varied across the service and that granting the claim in isolation could prompt similar claims. The Court found that the standard conditions for HSE Catering Managers were about 35 hours and 32 days’ leave, and that the worker did not have the conditions applying to her grade. Revised hours were to apply from 1 May 2013, with revised leave applying in the current leave year.