Labour Court varies Wexford County Council break recommendation

The Labour Court varied a Rights Commissioner recommendation on a worker’s appeal over morning breaks at Wexford County Council’s New Ross site. The Court found no basis to recommend in favour of the appeal, but called for a joint review of how an existing agreement operated at the site. The decision was signed on 21 October 2015. The worker said he could not take a 15-minute morning break one day each week when working alone and sought equivalent time off. The council maintained that staff working alone could take their breaks. The Court noted that a 2012 agreement addressed breaks when the site was operated by one person. It recommended that the parties jointly check how clause 4 of that agreement operated at New Ross and varied the earlier recommendation accordingly.