Hospitals have been strongly criticised by the Labour Court for failing to make a pay award due to pathology technicians in return for their co-operation with new organ retention procedures.
Only three hospitals have to date paid the €4,000 lump sum awarded to the staff concerned by an independent arbitrator last year, the court was told.
In a recommendation just published, the court said it was "extraordinary" that the arbitrator's award had not been implemented in full.
"There is no justification for this failure," it said.
The award was made by the arbitrator last October in respect of additional duties and responsibilities being undertaken by the pathology technicians.
Their union, Siptu, told the court that the monies were due to the claimants since December last, and their employers had not explained their failure to honour the award.
The union was seeking the payment due and the imposition of a monetary penalty for the "unnecessary and unexplained" non-payment of the award.
The Health Service Executive-Employers' Agency told the court that the arbitrator's findings had been issued to individual employers.
The HSE-EA had sought an update from hospitals regarding the implementation of the award, and "in the main" had received confirmation that the lump sums had been paid.
It said it was not contesting the arbitrator's award and, where appropriate, it should be paid. The court recommended that the award be paid by August 24th.
In a separate recommendation, the court has told the Curragh racecourse it should pay "benchmarking" increases claimed by 19 general operatives. But it said new pay structures should be established for the future.
The claimants' union, Siptu, said pay parity had existed since 1983 between workers at the racecourse and general operatives employed by local authorities.
It was, therefore, seeking significant pay increases for the racecourse staff arising from the introduction of benchmarking pay scales for workers at Kildare County Council.
Management of the racecourse told the court that benchmarking increases did not apply to the private sector, and the cost of maintaining an alignment with Kildare County Council was not sustainable.
The court said it accepted management's argument that it was no longer appropriate to link the workers' pay to that applying in the public sector.
It recommended that the racecourse pay the benchmarking increases as sought, with retrospection, but that the two sides negotiate new pay scales for the future, based on comparable rates in the private sector.
