The Labour Court rejected Joe Lafferty’s appeal over a specialist qualification allowance and upheld the Rights Commissioner’s recommendation. The decision was dated 2 November 2015.
Lafferty, a psychiatric nurse employed by the HSE at St Fintan’s Hospital in Portlaoise, sought the allowance after completing a postgraduate diploma in mental health. The Union argued that nurses with the same qualification received the allowance, including a colleague in his unit, and said a former Director of Nursing supported his claim.
The HSE argued that Lafferty did not meet the criteria because he was not working in a specialist area on specialist duties. The Court found that he was assigned to the Acute Admissions Unit and could not uphold his claim under the circular’s criteria. It said the allowance should apply if the area is designated as a specialist area in future.