Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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325. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to outline the steps she is taking to ensure that the Labour Court Recommendation LCR20577 in respect of a Labour Court hearing on 29 May 2013, relating to the pay of four workers at University College Cork Tyndall Institute, is fully implemented; if she will provide an update on the issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3727/16]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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As the Deputy will be aware, in the context of measures necessary to restore order to the public finances, Government pay policy has been consistent in its approach to the processing of cost-increasing pay claims. Accordingly, non-binding Labour Court Recommendations which will result in a pay increase, such as those referred to by the Deputy, are precluded from implementation. This was provided for in the Haddington Road Agreement and continues to be provided for in the Public Service Stability Agreement (Lansdowne Road) 2013-2018. Following lengthy discussions facilitated by the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) in August 2013 and February 2014, terms of reference were agreed for an internal job evaluation exercise to establish the correct rate of pay for the employees of all grades within the Tyndall National Institute. The terms of reference covered all staff in the Institute comprehended by the unions' parity claim, including those staff who were the subject of a previous Labour Court recommendation (LCR20577). The terms of reference provided for an Oversight Committee comprised of management and union representatives to monitor progress and prevent delays. An appeals process was also agreed between the parties which could be invoked following the conclusion of the evaluation exercise.

Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) were appointed to conduct the exercise following a tender process. The selection was made by a joint panel made up of representatives of the employer and both unions.

It was also agreed that, following completion of the internal job evaluation exercise, the parties would engage in discussions to seek agreement on the implementation of PwC's recommendations and the outcome of the appeals process. In the event that agreement could not be reached the matter would be referred to the Labour Court and the parties would be bound by the outcome.

The PwC job evaluation report was presented to the parties in December 2014 and as part of the appeals process, an independent appeal officer has recently heard and reported on 10 appeals by Tyndall staff. The parties have also recently met under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission and are due to meet again on the 8th February 2016.