Labour Court rejects unions’ VHI payment claim against Cadbury Ireland

The Labour Court did not recommend that Cadbury Ireland Ltd concede the unions’ claim over a deferred VHI increase. It found the company had followed the established practice of calculating the lump sum by reference to the actual cost of Plan B plus 30 units under its group scheme. The recommendation was signed on 23 June 2003. The Services Industrial Professional Technical Union and the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers’ Union said the delay in applying an 18% increase would cause a loss to staff. Cadbury Ireland said the payment was based on the cost of the group scheme and that the deferral benefited employees with VHI policies. The Court found the company had not departed from the established practice in 2002 and saw no basis for the claim.