Vera Toal awarded €8,000 over annual leave pay by WRC

Vera Toal was awarded €8,000 after the Workplace Relations Commission found Independent College Ltd had wrongly calculated her annual leave pay. The decision was dated 26 July 2023. Toal, a part-time lecturer, said the college withheld 8% from her hourly pay and returned it as holiday pay, leaving her to fund her own leave. The college said her contractual rate was €64.81 an hour and that it calculated leave at 8% of her lecturing hours. The adjudication officer found her contracted rate was €70 an hour and the college’s calculation resulted in an unlawful deduction from her wages. The WRC found the annual leave complaint well founded, ordered the college to comply with the law and awarded €8,000 in compensation. Toal’s separate public holiday entitlement complaint was withdrawn at the hearing.