Labour Court recommends engagement over council’s proposed lunch break cut

The Labour Court recommended that Tipperary County Council and the worker engage on the Council’s proposal to shorten his lunch break from 60 minutes to 30 minutes, exhaust the Public Service Agreement procedures on disputed matters, and apply the resulting agreement to the worker. The recommendation was signed on 3 July 2017. The worker, represented by Unite the Union, said his original contract protected his lunch break and work area. The Council argued that standardised work cycles would improve flexibility and efficiency. The Court found there was no collective agreement changing the worker’s 60-minute break and said the Council had not used the agreement’s dispute procedure. It recommended that the Council remove threats of disciplinary action while the process continued.