Labour Court declines instrument technicians' pay and grading claims

In 1989, the Labour Court did not recommend either of two claims by Manufacturing Science Finance on behalf of instrument technicians at Irish Fertilizer Industries Limited. The recommendation was signed on 29 September 1989. The union sought salary realignment for instrument technicians and pay parity for two junior technicians. It argued the scales lagged behind comparator employers and that the junior technicians performed the same work as the other technicians. The company opposed both claims, citing internal grading and rates and conditions at its Cork plant. The Court said the proposed salary analogues were inappropriate given internal plant relativities. It also found the case for upgrading the two technicians unsustainable, citing the changed circumstances in which the senior grade evolved and comparable workers' rates and conditions at Cork.