In 1987, the Labour Court recommended that James Connolly Memorial Hospital pay £1,500 to settle a shop assistant’s claim after she was retired at 65. The recommendation was signed on 17 September 1987 and was in addition to her existing entitlements. The Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union relied on a house agreement that allowed employment to be extended in exceptional circumstances. The Court accepted that the worker had some basis for expecting to remain employed until 66. The hospital said the extension would require a subsidy it could not justify after reduced funding.