Labour Court recommends compensation for Waterford Council staff who lost acting-up allowances

The Labour Court recommended compensation for between 20 and 24 Waterford Council staff who lost long-term acting-up roles after the merger of Waterford City and County Councils. The recommendation, signed on 7 September 2016, sets compensation at 1.5 times each worker’s annual acting allowance when they returned to their substantive post. The Irish Municipal, Public And Civil Trade Union represented the staff. The Court found the number of acting posts had roughly halved after the merger, and some affected employees had held acting roles for up to 11 years. It said the posts were abolished outside the workforce-planning process and that the staff should be dealt with under the Haddington Road Restructuring Agreement.