Labour Court rejects Thermo King Europe’s appeal over Grade 8 recommendation

The Labour Court rejected Thermo King Europe’s appeal and upheld the Rights Commissioner’s recommendation on grading for the Pulmax Setter/Operator Programmer role, in a decision dated 19 February 1987. The Amalgamated Engineering Union sought Grade 8 grading, while a company evaluation had placed the job at Grade 7. The Rights Commissioner recommended personal Grade 8 grading for operators who agreed to work to the full job description, with a separate appeals process to determine the role’s substantive grade. The union argued that overturning the recommendation would reduce workers’ pay; the company said further personal grading would undermine its evaluation system.