Tusla ordered to record paid lunch break in worker’s terms

The Workplace Relations Commission upheld Noel Connolly’s complaints against Tusla Child And Family Agency and ordered it to amend his employment terms to include a paid one-hour lunch break each day within his 39-hour week. The decision was dated 27 September 2024. Connolly, who had worked for Tusla since 2002, said his original terms included paid lunch breaks. Tusla argued that after his residential unit closed and he moved to community services, breaks were unpaid. The adjudicator found that Connolly’s 39-hour week included a paid lunch break and that there was no evidence he had agreed to change that condition. The order required Tusla to issue amended terms reflecting the arrangement; no monetary award was recorded.