Labour Court backs education department’s annual leave proposals

The Labour Court recommended that the Department of Education & Skills’ draft annual leave arrangements for non-academic education staff be accepted by the unions. The recommendation was signed on 7 January 2014. The Court also recommended that management draw up lists of excluded grades locally and provide them to the unions. SIPTU, IMPACT, TUI, IFUT and Unite argued that allocating leave to Christmas and Easter would leave too little discretionary leave. They also sought lists of excluded grades and opposed further losses for staff who chose reduced annual leave instead of a pay reduction under the Haddington Road Agreement. The Court said the Christmas and Easter allocation was based on an average over 21 years and generally reflected the norm. It recommended no special arrangements for staff who opted for reduced leave, and recommended that the unions accept the draft proposals.