Labour Court rejects seven ambulance staff’s travel claim

The Labour Court did not recommend conceding a claim by seven National Ambulance Service staff for travel and subsistence payments during mandatory training in 2013. In its recommendation dated 20 December 2019, the Court said the claim had operational and financial implications for the service nationally. The Services Industrial Professional Technical Union said the staff were entitled to reimbursement for training in Dublin and Galway, and that other staff had received payments in similar circumstances. The HSE (National Ambulance Service) argued that the training venue was the workers’ place of work and the claim was precluded under the Public Service Agreement. The Court also recommended that the service review and clarify documents issued to newly recruited staff in similar circumstances.