Labour Court recommends rent allowance in pay calculations for emergency controllers

The Labour Court recommended that Dublin City Council include rent allowance in Emergency Service Controllers’ pay calculations from the dates it was granted to new entrant firefighters. The recommendation was signed on 19 July 2017. The Services Industrial Professional Technical Union and Irish Municipal, Public and Civil Trade Union sought backdated allowance for new entrant firefighters and application of 90% of the allowance to Emergency Service Controllers. Dublin City Council argued the allowance had been abolished for new entrants and that controllers were not firefighters. The Court did not recommend conceding the unions’ claim for retrospective allowance for new entrant firefighters. It found controllers had a 90% pay relationship with new entrant firefighters and recommended including the allowance in their pay calculations from the dates it was granted to the firefighters.