Labour Court rejects Michael Hayes’s paid annual leave appeal

Michael Hayes’s appeal over paid annual leave failed after the Labour Court found that he was not employed under a contract covered by the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997. The Court’s decision was signed on 18 December 2025. Hayes argued that his work as a Rights Commissioner and WRC Adjudication Officer brought him within the Act. The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment said he was an office holder, not employed under a contract of service. Applying its findings in a linked appeal, the Court found Hayes was outside the Act’s protections. It found his complaint not well founded and varied the Adjudication Officer’s decision. No monetary award was made.