Labour Court says Galway Clinic staff may use union officials in grievances

The Labour Court said the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union may represent an employee in a grievance at Galway Clinic, in an opinion signed on 18 November 2010. The union sought the Court’s view on the Code of Practice on Grievance and Disciplinary Procedures. Galway Clinic said it did not recognise unions for negotiation purposes and was not required to accept a union official as a representative. The Court said the Code allows a union to pursue an individual employee’s grievance and requires the employer to consider the representative’s submissions when making its determination.