The Labour Court replaced a recommended £2,000 lump sum for a school secretary at Scoil Carmel with a sum equal to two years of her annual loss of leave entitlement. The decision was signed on 27 October 1998. The Court left the other parts of the Rights Commissioner’s recommendation in place and said discussions on attendance arrangements should begin without delay. The dispute followed a change from an average of 49 days of annual and school closure leave to 19 days of annual leave, with no school closure leave. The Irish Municipal, Public and Civil Trade Union argued that the secretary’s established conditions should continue or that she should receive adequate compensation. Scoil Carmel said it had to follow Department of Education and Science regulations to retain the grant used to pay her salary. The union appealed the Rights Commissioner’s recommendation, and the Labour Court varied the payment formula while upholding its other terms.