Labour Court recommends extra leave in FÁS pre-retirement scheme dispute

In 2011, the Labour Court recommended that Foras Aiseanna Saothair (FAS) increase its one-off leave offer as compensation for withdrawing its pre-retirement leave scheme. The recommendation was signed on 24 October. The Services Industrial Professional Technical Union accepted that the scheme could not continue but said management’s offer was inadequate. FAS said the scheme was unusually generous and its offer was fair. The Court recommended five extra days of leave for staff with at least 25 years’ service, three days for those with 10 to 25 years, and two days for those with less than 10 years. Management was to schedule the leave within 24 months. Existing commitments were to be honoured, and applications made before the recommendation date were to be processed under the scheme. Staff benefiting under the scheme were excluded from the extra leave.