Labour Court rejects Mandate’s public holiday pay claim against Marks & Spencer

The Labour Court did not recommend conceding Mandate’s claim against Marks & Spencer (Ireland) Limited for double time and a paid day off for staff who worked on Monday 19 March 2007. Mandate said the company closed its Grafton Street store on St Patrick’s Day, Saturday 17 March, and treated the following Monday as the public holiday. Some staff were rostered to work that Monday, while others volunteered expecting premium pay. The company said staff had received their contractual and statutory entitlements and that the same arrangements applied at its Mary Street store. The Court found staff received a paid day off on the actual public holiday and double time for working the following Monday. It said those arrangements met their statutory and contractual entitlements and found no logical basis to conclude otherwise. The recommendation was signed on 12 November 2008.