Labour Court finds no jurisdiction over retired worker’s overtime claim

The Labour Court found it had no jurisdiction to consider a worker’s claim for overtime and subsistence payments from Galway County Council. The worker, represented by the union, TEEU, referred the dispute under section 20(1) of the Industrial Relations Act, 1969, and agreed to be bound by the Court’s recommendation. The claim was lodged about 14 months after the worker retired. The Court said the worker was no longer a worker under the Acts when the claim was made, and that it could not investigate a dispute brought after someone had ceased to be a worker. The recommendation was signed on 30 October 2013; the merits were not decided.