The Labour Court rejected the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union’s appeal over equal pay for 11 Aer Rianta catering attendants. The determination was signed on 4 February 1994.
The union challenged findings on three grounds. The Court rejected grounds (a) and (b), finding that the seven-year gap since comparator Mr Fenton left employment and the lack of useful work records made it impractical to assess whether the work was comparable. On ground (c), it found that the cleaner and catering grades were originally unisex, and that cleaners’ duties later diminished while their original pay rates continued. It found valid grounds unrelated to sex for the pay difference and rejected the appeal.