Christmas/New Year Pay

The Union has been advised the following from the Fire Service Pay Office:

Due to the normal Friday SMS pay download following on Christmas Day, the download will be run early.

This will allow wages to be processed for payment on 30th December 2009 as normal.

Payment of overtime and additional claims for this pay period (20) will be processed up to midnight Tuesday 22nd December 2009, not Thursday as normal.

Claims for the 23rd and 24th will be processed in Pay 21.

Alleged Officership Allowance Overpayment

As has been previously advised, at the Employment Relations Authority Hearing on the Fire Service’s claim to recover an alleged over-payment of the Officership Allowance, the Union raised a question as to whether the Authority had the jurisdiction to order employees to pay their employer’s over-payment of wages and/or debt under the Judicature Act 1908 and/or Section 161 or Section 162 of the Employment Relations Act.

The Authority has accepted the Union’s argument that a question of law has arisen and the Authority has consequently referred this to the Employment Court for the Court’s opinion.

There is no indication at this stage as to when the Employment Court will hear this application, but it will most likely be sometime next year.

And, if the Employment Court determines that the Employment Relations Authority has no jurisdiction, then the Fire Service’s case therefore fails.