European Court to decide on case of Irish civil servants

THE European Court of Justice Advocate General will this morning give her opinion on whether fixed-term Irish public sector workers are entitled to the same pay and pension terms as their full-time counterparts.

In a ruling which could have far-reaching implications for Irish workers, the European Court has been asked to adjudicate on the cases of 91 civil servants employed on fixed-term contracts.

The workers secured compensation totalling €217,500 in 2005 after the Rights Commissioner found Government departments had failed to follow legislation that protects pay and working conditions of staff on fixed-term contracts.