The WRC found a general operative’s complaint over withheld sick pay was not well founded, deciding that the employer’s scheme allowed it to withhold payment after an injury outside work. Adjudication Officer Joe Donnelly dated the decision 27 April 2017. The worker said he received no sick pay during three weeks off and that his partner, who was also absent, was paid. The employer argued the claim was out of time and pointed to the staff handbook’s sick-pay rules. The WRC extended the filing deadline after accepting that a union official’s inability to process the complaint had caused the delay. It found the handbook permitted withholding sick pay and noted that the worker had not appealed the decision internally.