In 1999, the Labour Court recommended against extending the community allowance to general nurses, rejecting a claim by Irish Nurses' Organisation against Health Service Employers' Agency. The union sought the allowance for ward sisters and staff nurses, arguing they should receive it if Monday-to-Friday work caused them to lose premium pay. The Court said the allowance reflected a permanent service change in psychiatric nursing that brought substantial earnings losses for many nurses and little prospect of reversal. It found that fundamental change did not apply to general nursing.