Labour Court recommends talks on Wyeth overtime payments to electricians

The Labour Court recommended that Wyeth Nutritionals Ireland and the Technical, Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU) hold discussions to agree terms for bringing electricians’ overtime arrangements into line with the intended proposals and agreements generally applied across the company. The recommendation was signed on 26 July 2012, and the discussions were to conclude within eight weeks. The dispute concerned whether electricians were entitled to overtime payments at the end of the third week of their shift cycle or only after working 39 hours. The union said the agreement provided for three hours of built-in overtime and that the payments were due. Wyeth said the payments resulted from an administrative error and should be aligned with the company’s standard practice. The Court said management had confirmed the union’s interpretation on three occasions before a ballot and was responsible for the situation.