WRC awards Galway 2020 worker €9,157.50 for accrued time off

The Workplace Relations Commission ordered Galway Cultural Development & Activity trading as Galway 2020 to pay Bridgette Brew €9,157.50 for accrued time off in lieu. The decision was dated 4 November 2021. Brew, who worked as Head of Tourism Engagement, said her manager had agreed she could bank extra hours during a busy period and take them as paid time off later. The respondent disputed that the hours had been approved in advance and said its policy did not provide for payment for unused time off. The adjudicator accepted Brew's evidence that management knew about and approved the extra work. Pandemic restrictions made the event untenable, and its cancellation left her unable to take the agreed time off. The adjudicator found the respondent's refusal to pay unreasonable, noting that it had previously paid for unused time off and had not consistently followed its own policy.