Labour Court recommends full allowance in Meath fire officers’ pension calculations

The Labour Court recommended that Meath County Council include the full on-call allowance in pension calculations for three senior fire officers. The recommendation was dated 26 November 2004. The dispute followed a reduction in the allowance when a fourth officer joined the roster. The Court accepted the reduction complied with the national agreement, but found that the agreement did not address its effect on pension benefits. It recommended the Council include the full allowance in pension calculations after years of pension contributions based on the higher amount. The Irish Municipal, Public And Civil Trade Union sought to preserve the higher allowance for the three officers, saying similar cases had been treated more flexibly in other local authorities. The Council argued that different rates for officers on the same roster would be inequitable and that the claim was cost-increasing.