The current national agreement, Sustaining Progress [1] (IE0304201N [2] and IE0301209F [3]) contains an 'inability to pay' clause, allowing employers not to pay all or some of the pay increases due under the agreement in circumstances where this would result in serious loss of competitiveness and
The long awaited report [1] of a National Task Force on Medical Staffing, chaired by David Hanly, was published in October 2003, making a number of proposals for reforming the Irish health service. A number of formidable industrial relations hurdles will have to be cleared if the proposals are to be
The 'compact for constructive participation' in the semi-state airport management company, Aer Rianta, dates back to the mid-1990s, when a Joint Union Company Group (JUCG), which was at the centre of the process, established multi-level proposals for 'partnership' in three Irish airports - Dublin
In November 2003, the EIRO national centres in each EU Member State (plus Norway), were asked, in response to a questionnaire, to give a brief overview of: the procedures and costs involved in collective redundancies - ie the dismissal of a number of employees for economic/organisational reasons
A public sector 'benchmarking' process conducted in 2002 (IE0207203N [1]) awarded pay increases ranging from 2.5% to 25%, with an average of 8.9%, to Ireland’s public servants after they were benchmarked against private sector comparators. The main 'quid quo pro' was that the workers concerned would
The European Union'sEuropean employment strategy [1] (EES) has been in operation since 1997 (EU9711168F [2]). The strategy enables the coordination of national employment policies at EU level and one of its main components has been the adoption (on the basis of a proposal from theEuropean Commission
The issue of works councils and similar workplace employee representation and participation structures is topical at present, with the EU Member States required to implement the recent Directive (2002/14/EC) [1] establishing a general framework for informing and consulting employees in the European
On 11 August 2003, the Minister for Labour Affairs, Frank Fahey, published a consultation paper [1] on how the EU information and consultation Directive (2002/14/EC) [2] (EU0204207F [3]) should be transposed into Irish law. Interested parties had until 24 September 2003 to make submissions to the
In recent years, although overall trade union membership levels have increased in Ireland to a historically high level, there has nevertheless been a fall in union density, as employment levels have outpaced union recruitment (IE0102164F [1]). It was primarily for this reason that a 'high-level
The EU Directive establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation (Directive 2000/78/EC [1]) was adopted in November 2000 (EU0102295F [2]). The Directive seeks to lay down a general framework for combating discrimination, as regards employment and occupation, on the