Labour Court rejects union appeal over Fujitsu training allowance

In 1991, the Labour Court did not uphold the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union’s appeal over the training allowance for Grade C workers at Fujitsu Microelectronics (Ireland) Limited. The Court considered the Rights Commissioner’s recommendation reasonable. It said Grade C workers would not receive the training premium going forward, while the company would make goodwill payments for qualifying past assignments. The union sought an ongoing allowance, arguing Grade C had become a setter grade and the agreement provided for payment during temporary training assignments. The company said Grade C’s pay scale covered those duties and it had not previously paid the premium to Grade C workers. The decision was dated 6 March 1991.