Labour Court backs Saturday overtime offer but rejects sick pay shift premium claim

The Labour Court recommended acceptance of Showerings (Ireland) Ltd’s offer on Saturday overtime, while finding the unions’ sick pay claim was precluded under the Programme for Competitiveness and Work. The recommendation was signed on 1 July 1996. The Services Industrial Professional Technical Union and the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers’ Union sought to include a 22% shift premium in sick pay for six workers and in Saturday overtime calculations. The company said it paid the premium for unsocial hours worked and offered to pay it for Saturday overtime when workers completed a full two-shift cycle. The Court was not satisfied that the existing sick pay scheme was out of line with schemes generally, so the claim was precluded under the programme. It considered the company’s overtime offer reasonable and recommended that it be accepted.