Labour Court recommends conceding union claim over public holiday premium

The Labour Court recommended that Waterways Ireland concede the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union’s claim over public holiday premium payments for lock-keepers under a 2010 agreement. The recommendation was signed on 19 August 2015. The dispute concerned lock-keepers who worked on New Year’s Day 2015 after management had said they were not required to work. Waterways Ireland refused to pay the public holiday premium. The union sought retrospective payment for those who attended. The Court found that the employer’s intention to change the existing arrangement was not sufficiently conveyed in the agreement or negotiations. As Waterways Ireland had drafted the agreement, the Court preferred the union’s interpretation and recommended that its claim be conceded, with negotiations on reviewing the agreement to continue.