Details of some of the main features of the future Irish legislation transposing the 2002 EU information and consultation Directive (2002/14/EC [1]) (EU0204207F [2]), which is due to be implemented by 23 March 2005, were recently disclosed by the /Industrial Relations News/ (IRN) weekly. It is far
In January 2005, the independent weekly /Industrial Relations News/ (IRN) published an examination of 'above the norm' pay deals concluded under Ireland’s current national pact, Sustaining Progress [1] (SP), which was negotiated in early 2003 (IE0301209F [2] and IE0304201N [3]). It finds that the
A European Court of Justice (ECJ) Advocate-General, Philippe Léger, issued his opinion [1] on 2 December 2004 in Case C-191/03, /North Western Health Board v Margaret McKenna/. His finding was that Ireland’s North Western Health Board (NWHB) had discriminated against one of its female employees by
The Labour Relations Commission, one of Ireland’s main dispute-resolution bodies, organised a high-level symposium in Dublin on 11 November 2004 entitled 'Meeting the challenge of change: Irish labour market issues in a global economy'. The aim was to bring together policy-makers and practitioners
The EU’s European employment strategy [1] was revised in 2003 (EU0308205F [2]), following demands for a more results-oriented strategy contributing successfully to the targets for more and better jobs and an inclusive labour market set at the Lisbon European Council in 2000 (EU0004241F [3]). To
It is now widely believed by Irish social partners and policy-makers that the key to the country’s future economic and social success lies in moving to a 'knowledge economy' based on high value-added and high-skilled activities, which, in turn, requires greater innovation at workplace level. In view
A conference held in Dublin on 21 October 2004, organised by the Law Society of Ireland, examined the implications of the 2002 EU information and consultation Directive (2002/14/EC [1]) (EU0204207F [2]) for Irish industrial relations. The conference was timely, given that, although the Directive is
It is widely believed that the key to Ireland’s future economic and social success lies in moving towards a 'knowledge economy' based on high value-added and high skilled activities, which, in turn, requires greater innovation at workplace level and increased collaboration between employers
In 2000-1 (IE0108242N [1]), new 'right to bargain' procedures were introduced in Ireland, giving employees the right to have disputes over workplace representation rights pursued all the way up to a binding Labour Court decision. Given trade union dissatisfaction with these provisions for processing
The pay element of Ireland's current national partnership pact, Sustaining Progress [1] (SP), was divided into two 18-month stages, as a result of uncertainty when it was negotiated in early 2003 (IE0301209F [2] and IE0304201N [3]). Stage one of the pay element of SP expired in June 2004 in the