Labour Court recommends review after finding laboratory pay gap unjustified

The Labour Court recommended that HSE West and the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union undertake a comprehensive review of qualifications and career structures in Public Analyst Laboratories after a pay-parity dispute. The recommendation was signed on 30 May 2011. The union sought progression for Galway and Cork Senior Laboratory Technicians in line with Dublin staff, who could reach the ninth point of the pay scale. HSE West said progression beyond the fifth point required master’s-level qualifications and membership of the Fellows of the Academy of Medical Laboratory Scientists, and that Dublin progression had been an error. The Court said the pay difference between Dublin and Galway staff was neither justified nor sustainable, but a simple adjustment without a wider review was inappropriate. It recommended that the parties re-engage on the issue.