Labour Court rejects Services Industrial Professional Technical Union’s £750-per-worker clock claim at Tegral

The Labour Court rejected the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union’s claim for £750 per worker at Tegral Building Products Limited, finding no merit in the payment claim. The dispute followed the replacement of factory time and attendance equipment because of Y2K problems; workers used a fob instead of a plastic key. The union said workers sought compensation and raised concerns about asbestos, possible uses of the clock beyond time recording and poor industrial relations. Tegral said the change was minor and offered a written guarantee that the system would only record time. The Court said the asbestos and industrial relations issues were being addressed separately. Its recommendation was signed on 11 February 2000.