Irish Rail deductions for income protection scheme found lawful

The Workplace Relations Commission found two wage deduction complaints by Patrick Geraghty against Iarnrod Eireann / Irish Rail not well founded, accepting that contributions to an income continuance scheme were authorised under a collective agreement incorporated into his employment contract. Geraghty argued that he had not given individual written consent to the deductions. The WRC found the collective agreement authorised them and that individual consent was not required. The Labour Court had recommended that the employer pay 30% of the scheme cost, with members paying 70%; its recommendation also called for the contribution ratio to be reviewed after productivity discussions. The decision was dated 31 January 2024.