WRC recommends worker pursue acting-up duties dispute through union

The WRC recommended that a worker at a postal company pursue a dispute over acting-up duties through his union and use workplace grievance procedures. The recommendation was dated 26 April 2023. The worker said local arrangements prevented him from applying for temporary acting duties and that acting experience affected promotion prospects. The postal company said the arrangements were agreed centrally with the union, involved short-term cover without extra pay, and the worker had not applied for advertised permanent roles. The adjudication officer recommended that the worker seek to resolve the acting-up issue through the union and exhaust internal remedies before bringing a dispute to the WRC. The officer said no conclusion could be drawn about permanent roles because the worker had not applied.