Labour Court rejects union appeal over two Fruit Of The Loom earnings claims

The Labour Court rejected the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union’s appeal seeking compensation for two Fruit Of The Loom machinists after a change to sweatshirt production. The decision was signed on 1 October 1997. The change combined joining shoulders with attaching necks, and the workers experienced weekly earnings losses. The union sought £4,928.44 and £6,016.90 respectively. Fruit Of The Loom said earnings varied with working methods and individual performance, and that the workers’ performance was below colleagues doing the same operation. The Court upheld the Rights Commissioner’s recommendation that the claims fail.