A DISPUTE between Wexford Women’s Refuge and two unions over the subject of enhanced severance payments came before the Labour Relations Court which found in favour of the refuge workers.
The parties must now approach their relevant funding bodies to secure the funding for the payments.
The dispute concerned a claim for an enhanced redundancy package of three week’s pay per year of service exclusive of the statutory entitlements for six former workers. It could not be solved at local level and so came before the Labour Court for hearing.
The two unions were the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union and the Irish Municipal, Public and Civil Trade Union.
It was the unions’ case, on behalf of the six workers that the board of the refuge had made significant savings by reducing staff numbers and implementing the payment of a sleep-over allowance.
They pointed out that the Refuge received “significant State funding” and given that the Public Service redundancy terms were voluntary and five weeks’ per year of service, the Unions contended that this compulsory redundancy should be three weeks’ pay per of service in addition to the statutory entitlements.
The Refuge, which was represented by the Irish Business and Employer’s Confederation, countered that the organisation had had to undergo temporary closure from September 1 to December 1 in 2013 due to “serious shortfalls”. They said that during this time the organisation engaged with both Unions at local level to reach agreement on a new structure, roster and rates of pay.
They added that the organisation was funded by TUSLA, the Child and Family Agency, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and Wexford Co. Council but it did not have the funding required to meet the Unions’ claim.
The Labour Court found that the unions’ claims for an enhanced severance payment in addition to the statutory entitlements was fair and reasonable and should be conceded. It noted the financial position of the employer and its reliance on State Agencies and a State Body. It recommended that the parties jointly and severally approach the agencies and the body with a view to securing the funding necessary to meet the cost of the recommendation.
