Labour Court recommends recalculated offer after rejecting €3,500-per-plumber claim

The Labour Court did not recommend Waterford County Council concede a claim by the Amalgamated Engineering And Electrical Union for €3,500 each for eight plumbers who worked on a water-metering project. It recommended that the Council recalculate its offer using its proposed formula when the project ended, then offer that amount to the unions. The union argued that the plumbers’ in-house work avoided contractor costs and brought in new users through their local knowledge. The Council said the work was part of plumbers’ normal duties and hours, no allowance had been mentioned, and delays had increased costs. The recommendation was dated 11 May 2007.