Pay awards cancelled as wage cuts ruled legal

Compensation awarded to a number of SouthDoc staff on foot of a pay cut will not now be paid after the GP co-op successfully appealed the award.

A ruling in favour of South West Doctors on Call Ltd by the Employment Appeals Tribunal means each of the 16 (reduced from 22) employees involved will not receive the approximately €150-a-head due on foot of a previous ruling by a rights commissioner.

The rights commissioner had awarded the compensation after the employees, who were represented by the Independent Workers Union, argued that while they endured a 10% pay cut at SouthDoc as part of cost-saving measures, HSE staff had their pay cut by half that amount.