Labour Court recommends permanent posts for Teagasc contract staff if scheme is renewed

The Labour Court recommended that Teagasc and the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union agree to convert a significant number of Rural Environment Protection Scheme contract posts to permanent jobs if the scheme was renewed. The recommendation was dated 21 July 1999. The union said the scheme was expected to continue and that short-term contracts made it harder for workers to obtain mortgages and loans. Teagasc said a new scheme remained under negotiation and its services competed with private agricultural consultants. The Court said future employment depended on demand and competitiveness, but those factors alone did not justify continuing rollover fixed-term contracts. Its recommendation was conditional on the union being prepared to address any future redundancies.