Labour Court recommends HSE reject €45,000 pay claim by health centre porter

The Labour Court recommended that the Health Service Executive (HSE) not concede a €45,000 claim by a health centre porter who said he was paid less than a co-worker doing the same duties. The Court’s recommendation was dated 31 July 2023, after SIPTU appealed the Adjudication Officer’s rejection on the worker’s behalf. The worker sought pay parity and retrospective payment for the difference in earnings from 2008 to 2023. The HSE said the co-worker had always been an Attendant, not a Porter, and that some documents incorrectly listed her job title. The two grades had different pay scales. The Court accepted that the worker’s current pay matched the HSE scale for Porters. A 2022 job evaluation moved him to a higher pay band and brought retrospective payment to 2021. The Court said it could not interfere with the national job-evaluation process and noted the claim could have wider cost implications if conceded.