In 1997, the Labour Court recommended changes to Teagasc’s terms for research staff, including a normal one-year probation period and removing a stated age limit for continuing in research. The recommendation was signed on 9 October 1997.
The four issues were incremental credit, probation, suspension or termination, and research work after age 50. The Court recommended accepting management’s incremental-credit proposals, allowing extensions beyond one year only by agreement, and discussing a grievance and disciplinary procedure. It also recommended replacing the stated age with a clause making continued research work subject to periodic management review.
Manufacturing, Science, Finance said the contract changes had not been discussed and objected to the age clause. Teagasc defended the terms and estimated that changing incremental credit would cost £160,000.