Labour Court recommends against retrospective on-call pay claim by Forsa workers

The Labour Court recommended that the HSE Office Of The Chief Information Officer not concede Forsa’s claim for retrospective higher on-call payments for 50–60 workers. The dispute concerned the start date for a national rate of €450 per seven days on call. Forsa sought arrears for May 2014 to August 2017, arguing that some workers had received less than colleagues and that the implementation date was set without prior consultation. The HSE said the date reflected approval of its business case and argued that the claim would increase costs. The Court accepted the HSE’s cost-increasing argument and noted that Forsa had not clearly explained its delay in bringing the claim. The recommendation was signed on 28 October 2020.