WRC rejects employee’s claim for wages during sick leave

The WRC rejected an employee’s claim for wages while she was on long-term sick leave, finding that her contract did not entitle her to pay while she was not working. The decision was dated 4 October 2016. The employee said Irish Life stopped income-protection payments in August 2015 and her employer did not facilitate her return to work until February 2016. The employer said her sick-leave entitlement had expired and that she was appealing the insurer’s decision. The WRC said the Payment of Wages Act could not determine whether she was fit to return to work.