Labour Court overturns ruling ordering Avista to grant parental leave

The Labour Court overturned a ruling that Avista CLG grant Elizabeth O'Reilly parental leave, finding no breach of the Parental Leave Act during the period it could consider. The determination, dated 30 August 2023, followed Avista’s appeal of an Adjudication Officer’s decision. That decision had instructed the employer to grant O'Reilly leave she had sought for 2023, 2024 and 2025. O'Reilly, a social care worker who had worked for Avista for more than 19 years, said she had faced difficulties getting parental leave approved since 2018. She sought confirmation of leave plans for 2024 and 2025. Avista said it could not approve applications years in advance, but committed to confirming them before 30 April each year. The Court said O'Reilly’s representative could not identify a specific breach during the period covered by the complaint. It found no breach in that period, said the complaint must fail and set aside the Adjudication Officer’s decision.