The Labour Court upheld the decision rejecting Catherine Martin’s complaint against the Department Of Education, in a decision signed on 4 December 2024. Martin, a primary school teacher, argued that an increase to primary school principals’ allowances should also apply to her retained Director of Education Centres allowance.
Martin said the allowance was linked to the primary principals’ scale. The Department said it was a separate, fixed allowance and the 2022 sectoral agreement that raised principals’ allowances did not cover it. The Court found the retained allowance had not been linked to primary principals’ pay and Martin was not party to the agreement. It concluded the increase was not properly payable to her.