Council workers awarded €450 'eating on site' allowance

A group of council workers have been awarded an "eating on site allowance" after winning a battle with Dublin City Council.

The local authority had refused to pay the money, claiming staff were not entitled to it.

However the Labour Court recommended that the allowance of €450 a year be paid to each worker.

The Labour Court stated that "on a strict interpretation" of the agreement, the allowance should not be paid, but acknowledged that "of 185 similarly graded staff, 154 are in receipt of the allowance".

The LRC recommended that the group of six leisure centre workers be paid the allowance, backdated from November 29 last.

A spokesman for IMPACT welcomed the ruling, but ISME Chief Mark Fielding objected, saying that that "workers in the private sector will be wondering why workers in the public sector should get an allowance on the basis of where or how they eat their lunch."