Labour Court varies Tipperary County Council recommendation in GPS investigation dispute

The Labour Court varied a Rights Commissioner’s recommendation in a dispute over GPS data and an internal disciplinary investigation involving Tipperary County Council. The Court recommended that the Council ensure its internal procedure followed fair procedure. The decision was signed on 16 March 2016. The worker argued that a collective GPS protocol barred the data from being used as the primary source in disciplinary matters. The Council said GPS data was not the primary source and was willing to appoint an independent investigator with clear terms of reference. The Court said it was inappropriate to intervene in the prospective conduct of the Council’s internal procedure under the Industrial Relations Acts. The parties had agreed to implement one point of the Rights Commissioner’s recommendation; the Court varied the recommendation accordingly.