Labour Court recommends restoring increments for 13 Community Workers

The Labour Court recommended restoring incremental progression for 13 Community Workers in a dispute with Waterford Area Partnership. The recommendation was signed on 6 February 2019. The Services Industrial Professional Technical Union said the restoration process that began in 2015 should have included increments, and that the freeze affected staff unevenly. It argued that €27,000 returned to the funder in 2017 and €31,000 in 2018 should have gone towards restoration. Waterford Area Partnership said restoring increments could require cuts to front-line services or staff numbers, and that it was seeking additional funding. The Court said recession-era pay reduction measures, including the increment freeze, should be unwound. It recommended that the parties agree a structured restoration process and jointly approach the funder for the necessary funding.