The Coolmore and Ballydoyle stud farms in Co Tipperary have denied any implication that they were underpaying their staff - following an adjournment of proceedings by the National Employment Rights Authority for alleged breaches of employment law.
This week's proceedings at Clonmel District Court have been adjourned until November - as the stud farms mounted a constitutional challenge to the Joint Labour Committee system of setting wages for agricultural workers.
A spokesperson for the stud farms told RTÉ that Coolmore and Ballydoyle employ a team of highly skilled, highly trained and highly regarded personnel.
She said that NERA had complained about the payments to what she called ‘a small group of employees’.
She said that in each case, the employee had earned substantially more during the year in question than they would have had they been paid the rates set down in the legally binding Joint Labour Committee system.
Coolmore and Ballydoyle said they took great pride in their people and want to be able to reward and pay them accordingly.
The spokesperson said it defied belief and made no sense why an organisation like NERA should pursue organisations like Coolmore and Ballydoyle for paying ‘in excess of JLC rates’.
The alleged breaches involved in the prosecution by NERA included refusing to provide records to a NERA inspector, and failure to pay wage rates and Sunday premiums in accordance with the JLC Employment Regulation Order governing agricultural employees.
