Labour Court rejects union appeal over Irish Glass Bottle staffing

In 1996, the Labour Court rejected the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union’s appeal over staffing during The Irish Glass Bottle Company Limited’s two-week August closure. The decision was signed on 17 April 1996. In 1995, the company employed a limited number of process workers on a pro-rata basis to fulfil an order during the holiday period. The union argued that the company and union agreement required the full complement of workers. The company said its provision for pro-rata staffing when fewer than eight machines operated applied to the circumstances. The Labour Court upheld the Rights Commissioner’s recommendation that the union accept the company’s interpretation of the agreement, and rejected the union’s appeal.