In 2004, the Labour Court recommended that Dublin Airport Authority (Aer Rianta Cork) discontinue a responsibility allowance for Cork Airport fire officers, with compensation for those affected. The recommendation was dated 9 December. Officers who had received the allowance were to receive compensation equal to 2.5 times its current annual value; those appointed as Aerodrome Fire Officers who had not received it were to receive €2,500 each.
The Services Industrial Professional Technical Union said the allowance recognised officers’ dual supervisory role in police and fire services and argued the staffing ratio had worsened. The company said restructuring and new supervisory positions had removed the original need for the payment. The Court accepted that restructuring had eliminated its original purpose, but found that the delay in making the changes meant it could not be discontinued without reasonable compensation.