Labour Court recommends review of caretaker assignments and unpaid hours

The Labour Court recommended that Limerick City and County Council, the Technical, Engineering and Electrical Union and Services Industrial Professional Technical Union review caretaker assignments and pay arrangements after restructuring of water and sewerage services. The recommendation was signed on 28 November 2017. The Court recommended consultation when workers raised concerns about assignments and the use of seniority, other things being equal, to resolve competing claims. It also recommended a confined competition for Grade 5 assignments in Castletroy, as offered by the Council. The Court recommended that the parties treat unpaid hours as unacceptable and review arrangements to ensure caretakers and craft workers were paid for all hours worked. Local reviews of on-call arrangements should be consistent with national-level engagements.