Labour Court rules redeployment list staff retain public service status

The Labour Court recommended that former Shannon Development employees on the Public Service Redeployment List before 5 September 2017 keep their public service status and employment conditions until offered a new public service role. Its recommendation was dated 12 December 2017. The dispute involved Shannon Commercial Properties, the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union and the National Union of Journalists. The unions argued that a 2013 agreement protected the status of employees who chose the redeployment list. Shannon Commercial Properties said their three-year secondment ended on 4 September 2017 and the option to redeploy ended the following day. The Court said the staff would continue working under Shannon Commercial Properties management while awaiting redeployment, with the company and relevant public bodies working together to find alternative roles. It also said employees who joined the list could not reverse that choice and were not entitled to enter the company’s confined promotion competitions.