Labour Court overturns WRC sick pay decision in employer’s appeal

The Labour Court allowed Sk Biotek Ireland Ltd’s appeal and set aside the WRC decision on Shannon Reina’s statutory sick pay claim. No new compensation award was recorded. The dispute concerned Reina’s absence from 13 to 17 May 2024. The company had found her ineligible for its sick pay scheme under its absence policy; she argued statutory sick pay should apply despite that ineligibility. The Court, in a decision signed on 29 January 2026, found the company’s scheme was more favourable overall and could impose eligibility conditions, exempting the employer from the statutory obligation.