The Labour Court affirmed the decision rejecting prison officer Norman Sharpe’s wage complaints against the Irish Prison Service. The determination was signed on 11 April 2018, and the Court did not allow his appeal.
Sharpe said he was not paid while available for work from 7 to 17 March 2016 and that the period treated as sick leave reduced his entitlement to additional hours. The Prison Service said its contractual sick-pay and additional-hours schemes governed the payments.
The Court found that Sharpe needed clearance from the Chief Medical Officer before returning to duty, and that his absence remained continuous until that clearance was given. It found that the sick-pay treatment was authorised by his contract and that the pro-rata adjustment to additional hours was permitted under the scheme. Both complaints were found not well founded.