WRC recommends no driving allowance for retained firefighter

The WRC recommended no payment to a retained firefighter for a disputed driving allowance covering December 2021 to May 2022. The recommendation was dated 25 April 2023. The worker said he was eligible to resume driving after a two-year suspension in December 2021 and should not have been required to complete a specialist course. The local authority said its Chief Fire Officer required the course for safety because the worker had not driven a fire tender for more than two years and had missed training and call-outs. The adjudication officer accepted the Chief Fire Officer’s professional judgment as reasonable. The worker completed the course when a place became available and returned to driving.