The Workplace Relations Commission recommended that a local authority pay a worker €250 over delays in handling his grievance. It also recommended €150 for an occupational health appointment, €9.60 for parking and mileage at the authority’s normal rate. The recommendation was dated 18 August 2023.
The worker said duties assigned during the pandemic raised health and safety concerns and that the grievance process was delayed. The authority said the work was essential, the return-to-work form followed government guidance and it had handled the grievance appropriately.
The adjudicator accepted the worker’s concerns about travelling to Dublin for an appointment that was not taking place face to face and about the initial grievance delay. She found the form requirement prudent and the authority’s letter a legitimate instruction. The worker had been paid under the applicable sick-leave terms, and she recommended no restoration of 24 weeks’ sick leave or reimbursement of claimed financial losses. She also recommended clearer communication in any future lockdown and a review of the grievance procedure with worker representatives.