Labour Court rejects two workers’ UCC dental tutor pay-scale claims

The Labour Court did not uphold two workers’ claims to be placed on University College Cork’s dental hygiene tutor pay scale. In its recommendation dated 29 November 2016, the Court found the claims were not well-founded and said the matter was more properly pursued as a collective issue after using the WRC Conciliation Service. The workers, represented by IFUT, argued that their duties and qualifications were comparable to those of dental hygiene tutors. They cited a €7,503 difference between the top points of the pay scales. UCC relied on the Lansdowne Road Agreement and said granting the claim could lead to further pay claims. The Court also noted that an earlier recommendation on the dental nurse tutor scale had been accepted and implemented.