Labour Court recommends half a year’s lost overtime pay for ambulance staff

In 1988, the Labour Court recommended compensation for about 36 ambulance personnel at James’s Street Hospital after Eastern Health Board removed regular rostered overtime. Its recommendation, signed on 18 March 1988, was for half a year’s loss of the regular overtime element, with payment postponed until the Board’s next financial year. The Federated Workers’ Union of Ireland sought compensation, estimating the loss at about £2,500 per worker. Eastern Health Board argued that paying compensation could lead to further cuts in jobs and patient services. The Court said some compensation was warranted because discussions about ending the regular overtime had been under way since 1979, before the later financial constraints.