WRC recommends local talks over worker’s annual leave dispute

A WRC adjudication officer has recommended that a worker and a policing service revisit a dispute over annual leave accrued during his paid suspension. In a recommendation dated 14 March 2025, the officer said both sides should seek a local resolution in the spirit of the governing code. The worker said he was suspended from August 2004 to September 2006 during an investigation and later fully exonerated. He sought 90 days’ leave, including leave accrued during his suspension and days carried forward from before it. The employer said he could have raised a grievance after returning but waited until 2023. The officer noted there were no written records to support either account and that both sides agreed the worker had not received annual leave during the suspension. The recommendation asks the parties to investigate the issue and seek a local resolution.