The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) ordered Verizon Ireland Limited to pay €5,610 towards an expert’s invoice for work with the Verizon European Works Council. In a separate complaint, it found the company was not required to cover Jean-Philippe Charpentier’s costs for a training conference in Hamburg. The decision was dated 14 April 2023.
Charpentier, who chaired the Council, said expert advice was needed after its agreement expired and it moved to operate under statutory requirements. Verizon Ireland was designated by central management as its representative agent; Charpentier’s direct employer was Verizon France SAS. The company said some of the expert’s work was unnecessary and that it needed to understand its scope and cost.
The WRC found expert assistance was needed during the Council’s transition, but that some invoiced items were not required or reasonable. It ordered Verizon Ireland to pay half of the €11,220 invoice for work in early 2021. The WRC found the company’s Dublin training met its obligations for 2021, so the additional Hamburg conference was not required and that complaint was not well founded.