Labour Court recommends enhanced redundancy payments for three Kildare workers

The Labour Court recommended enhanced redundancy payments for three workers made redundant by County Kildare Leader Partnership. The recommendation was dated 19 December 2016. The Services Industrial Professional Technical Union sought an ex-gratia payment of three weeks’ pay per year of service above statutory redundancy. County Kildare Leader Partnership supported enhanced payments in principle but said it lacked the funds to meet the claim. The Rural Development Programme’s funding had fallen from €12.7 million to €5.2 million, leading to the redundancies. The Court recommended three weeks’ pay per year of service above statutory redundancy already paid or due, with total statutory and ex-gratia payments capped at the lower of two years’ pay or half the salary payable to preserved pension age. It also recommended that the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht provide the necessary funding and that the parties jointly seek enough funding to implement the recommendation.