Labour Court upholds warning recommendation in Cantrell and Cochrane dispute

In 1992, the Labour Court upheld a Rights Commissioner’s recommendation to reduce a laboratory technician’s final written warning to a written warning. The decision was dated 29 April 1992, following an appeal by the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union on the worker’s behalf. The worker received the final warning after arriving at 8 a.m. for a shift rostered to start at 7 a.m. Cantrell And Cochrane (Dublin) Limited said early attendance was needed to test production lines before production began at 8 a.m. and that a late arrival could cost up to an hour’s production. The Court considered the job requirements and consequences of failing to attend on time, and found the recommended warning reasonable.