WRC rejects school secretary’s pay-grade complaint against a government department

The WRC rejected a school secretary’s complaint over her pay grade and communication of employment-term changes. Its decision was dated 30 March 2022. She argued that reaching 40 teacher whole-time equivalents at her school entitled her to Grade IV rates from September 2019. The Department said the school did not meet the upgrade criteria in Circular 81/2020. The adjudication officer found the pay-grade grievance was an industrial relations issue that the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994 could not resolve. The officer also found no evidence that the Department was responsible for the failure to communicate changes to her individually; the section 5 claim was also found not well founded.