Labour Court recommends HSE dispute be treated as resolved

The Labour Court recommended that a dispute involving an anonymised childcare worker and HSE South be regarded as resolved. Its decision was signed on 10 May 2013. The worker, represented by the Irish Municipal Public and Civil Trade Union, appealed a Rights Commissioner recommendation over a verbal warning following an incident involving a child and a bullying complaint. The worker said management continued pursuing the bullying allegation after its complainant did not take it to the formal stage. The HSE said the warning followed a failure to adhere to a Management Plan and that it handled the bullying complaint under its Dignity at Work Policy. The Court noted that the HSE accepted the worker had acted bona fide and in the child’s best interests as he perceived them, and that the warning had been expunged when it expired. It recommended that the dispute be regarded as resolved on that basis.