WRC recommends €1,000 compensation after delayed grievance response

The Workplace Relations Commission recommended that a service provider pay a psychiatric nurse €456.20 net for cancelled overtime and €1,000 compensation for the delay in responding to his grievance. The recommendation was dated 21 June 2023. The worker said he pursued the employer’s grievance process after agreed overtime shifts were cancelled and that an HR manager promised payment at a Stage 3 appeal but did not send a written decision. The employer said the manager was on long-term sick leave and offered the net amount the worker would have earned. The adjudication officer accepted the employer’s offer for the cancelled shift and found the worker had made every effort to use internal procedures. She said the lack of response fell short of what was expected of a reasonable employer. The recommendation also called for training on the grievance policy for people managers, including directors.