A retired Iarnrod Eireann station master has been awarded €5,000 by the Workplace Relations Commission for lost overtime following the closure of booking offices. The decision, dated 22 February 2023, found Nicholas Moroney’s complaint under the Payment of Wages Act well founded.
Moroney said he was due €10,000, like colleagues who received a payment following an agreement between the union and Iarnrod Eireann. The company argued the payment was for loss of office rather than wages and that Moroney was ineligible because he had retired. The adjudicator found the payment related to lost Sunday and public holiday overtime and fell within the Act’s definition of wages.
The award covers actual lost overtime only, based on 32 Sundays and four public holidays between April 2020 and Moroney’s retirement in January 2021. The booking offices had initially closed during the Covid-19 pandemic, and were later closed permanently following a business review. The Payment of Wages Act provides a route for workers to challenge unlawful deductions or unpaid wages.