Labour Court recommends Carrigoran Nursing Home pay 2009 Christmas bonus

The Labour Court recommended that Carrigoran Nursing Home pay support staff the 2009 Christmas bonus, which ranged from one to seven days’ pay according to length of service. The recommendation was signed on 13 June 2011. The Services Industrial Professional Technical Union said the bonus was part of the company-union agreement and workers’ contracts. The nursing home cited financial difficulty, said bonuses were discretionary and noted that labour costs were 75% of turnover, compared with 57% at comparable companies; it had not increased residential rates in 2009, while annual 5% increases had historically helped sustain staff pay and benefits. The home had offered half the bonus. The Court found the bonus was contractual and recommended payment for 2009, followed by negotiations on future payments that took the company’s financial circumstances into account.