WRC says it has no jurisdiction over worker’s night pay dispute

The WRC said it had no jurisdiction to recommend a resolution to a worker’s dispute over being paid the lower social care assistant rate for night work. The decision was dated 9 February 2023; the merits were not decided. The worker said he was a qualified social care worker doing the same duties as higher-paid colleagues and covering for them. The employer said night roles were recruited at the assistant rate as a business decision, while existing workers’ higher rates were protected personally. The officer said the pay policy affected a category of workers and could not be resolved through an individual dispute.