Labour Court recommends €2,000 a year for two Kilkenny County Council workers’ on-call service

The Labour Court recommended compensation for two Kilkenny County Council workers who sought an on-call allowance and challenged the end of regular rostered overtime. Its recommendation was signed on 31 May 2021. The workers, represented by the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union, said they had made themselves available for out-of-hours callouts and sought an allowance dating back to when each began that work. The council said a formal on-call rota was not needed and that automated meters had removed the need for manual readings. It acknowledged the workers’ lost overtime earnings and offered compensation. The Court recommended €2,000 per worker for each year of on-call service. It also recommended that the workers accept the council’s offer of compensation at 1.5 times their annual overtime loss, based on each worker’s relevant 2017 overtime earnings.