The Labour Court varied a Rights Commissioner’s compensation award to €15,000 after finding that Goode Concrete Ltd breached working-time rules in its treatment of concrete batcher Dermot Munro. The determination was signed on 5 January 2005.
Munro said he missed required rest periods and breaks, exceeded the weekly-hours limit and worked Sundays without proper compensation. Goode Concrete Ltd disputed his account, saying he chose to work late, did not work Sundays and could take breaks in the canteen. The company accepted it had not kept required working-time records, leaving it responsible for proving compliance.
The Court accepted Munro’s account as generally correct. It considered the gravity of the infringements and the inconvenience and expense of pursuing the claim and defending the appeal when setting compensation at €15,000. The earlier award was expressed as six months’ pay.