The WRC found Joe Kelly was not discriminated against over his starting salary at Kildare Wicklow Education and Training Board, in a decision dated 26 July 2021. It also found it had no jurisdiction over a separate complaint concerning a collective agreement; the merits of that complaint were not decided.
Kelly, the board’s Director of Organisation Support and Development, said the process for setting his starting pay disadvantaged him compared with directors who had already been public servants. His annual gross salary was €77,000.
The board said it followed pay instructions set by government departments and had no discretion over pay rules. The adjudication officer found Kelly had not established discrimination on any of the protected grounds. The decision said applicants who were not serving civil or public servants started at the first point on the salary scale.