Labour Court upholds Limerick Corporation appeal over traffic warden suspension

The Labour Court upheld Limerick Corporation’s appeal against a Rights Commissioner recommendation concerning disciplinary action against a traffic warden. The recommendation had called for a warning to be removed from the worker’s record and his suspension without pay changed to paid suspension. The dispute followed the warden’s suspension on 7 January 1994 after he refused to ticket a van parked on a footpath in a clearway zone. He said the clearway restrictions had ended and that the van was not on a footpath. The Corporation argued he had refused to carry out his lawful duty; the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union said he had acted within his discretion and should have had a chance to explain before being suspended without pay. The Court found that the Corporation had not acted unreasonably and upheld its appeal. The recommendation was signed on 21 November 1994.