Labour Court recommends Department accept compensation offer over lost allowance

The Labour Court recommended that the Department of Education & Skills compensate affected chief executives for losing the Transport Liaison Officer’s allowance, and that it accept the Department’s offer of compensation equal to 1.5 times each person’s annual loss. The recommendation was signed on 15 January 2013. The dispute with the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union arose as 33 vocational education committees were replaced by 16 Educational Training Boards. The union argued that existing pay rates were protected and that workers were being asked to provide most of the savings. The Department said it needed revised pay structures for redeployed chief executives. The Court found that ending the allowance was justified because the additional duties it covered had ceased. It also recommended central negotiations on measures to address pension losses and that remuneration categorisation issues be resolved on the terms of Labour Relations Commission proposals.