Labour Court recommends further voluntary redundancies at Newtown School

The Labour Court recommended that Newtown School seek further voluntary redundancies as a final effort to avoid compulsory job losses. Its recommendation was signed on 1 August 2013. The Services Industrial Professional Technical Union and Irish Municipal, Public and Civil Trade Union had argued that compulsory redundancies were unnecessary and proposed alternatives including job sharing and short-term work. The school cited falling income, including a loss of about €500,000 since 2010/11, and said the proposals would not reduce payroll costs. The Court recommended retraining and redeployment for staff earmarked for redundancy where suitable positions became available, with the approach to be explored immediately and agreement sought by mid-August. It said the dispute could return to the Court urgently if the plan failed.