Labour Court overturns reinstatement order on Mount Temple school’s appeal

The Labour Court set aside an order reinstating Fergus Russell at Mount Temple Comprehensive School and found his fixed-term work complaint was not well founded. The Court’s determination was dated 9 October 2008. Russell taught Engineering, Metalwork and Technical Drawing on successive fixed-term contracts while covering for a teacher on career break. The Court found that the final renewal was justified by the continuing absence. The teacher’s later resignation did not make that renewal unlawful, and Russell’s contract ended because another teacher filled the vacancy, not to avoid a contract of indefinite duration.