Labour Court recommends €3,500 payment and removal of worker’s disciplinary sanction

The Labour Court recommended that Louth County Council remove a worker’s disciplinary sanction and related correspondence from his file, and pay him €3,500 in full settlement. The recommendation was dated 23 November 2023. The worker was taken off the winter gritting roster after refusing an instruction to drive a truck he considered unsafe. The council said the truck was safe to drive to collect a replacement and that he had refused a reasonable instruction. The Court noted confusion over the disciplinary process and uncertainty about where the sanction sat under the council’s policy. It also noted that the worker had declined an offer to return to the roster.