Employer Resources - Best Practice for Irish Nonprofits
  • Home
  • About
  • Legislation
    • Bullying & Harassment >
      • Definitions
      • Complaints Procedure
      • Conducting an Investigation
    • Disciplinary & Grievance Procedures
    • Employment Legislation >
      • Legislative Framework
      • Employment T&C's
      • Payment of Wages Act
      • Organisation of Working Time
      • Protection of Employees (Part-Time)
      • Protection of Employees (Fixed Term)
      • Children and Young Persons
      • Dismissal
      • National Minimum Wage
      • Minimum Notice & Terms of Employment Acts
      • Redundancy
      • Compliance
    • Employee Appraisals
    • Equality >
      • Definitions
      • The Business Case for Equality
      • Equality Policy
      • Structures and Communication
      • Training
      • Job Induction/Orientation
      • Involving Supervisors & Line Managers
      • The Present Context
      • The Way Forward
    • Health & Safety >
      • Alcohol & Drugs
    • Industrial Relations >
      • Labour Court
      • Labour Relations Commission (LRC)
      • Employment Appeals Tribunal
      • Employer Organisations
      • Trade Unions
    • Leave Entitlement >
      • Adoptive Leave Act 1995
      • Maternity Leave >
        • Antenatal and Postnatal Care
        • Termination & Postponement
      • Force Majeure Leave
      • Sick Pay & Sick Leave
      • Carer's Leave Act 2001
      • Parental Leave
      • Jury Service Leave
      • Other Leave
    • Managing Diversity >
      • Benefits to an Organisation
      • Making It Happen
      • Case Studies
    • Publications & Templates
    • Recruitment & Selection >
      • Setting Criteria
      • Advertising
      • Application Form
      • Short listing
      • Recruitment Agencies
      • Interviewing
      • Job Offer/Contract
      • Promotion and Regrading
    • Redundancy
    • Salary Scales
    • Work-life Balance
  • Newsletter
  • Training
  • Contact

Workplace Relations Commission to Commence 1st of October 2015

7/10/2015

0 Comments

 
Recently the Workplace Relations Act 2015 has been signed into law. This Act will fully take effect from October 1st 2015, however some parts of the Act have already been put into place. The establishment of the Workplace Relations Commission is the most radical restructuring of employment legislation over the last 30 years. Organisations are encouraged to understand all facets of the Act and what implications they may face as a result of this.

The strategic aims of the new Workplace Relations Commission include an independent, effective and impartial workplace relations service, a more workable means of redress within a reasonable timeframe and an overall reduction in costs. The new Workplace Relations Commission is also anticipated to be more centralised, in terms of maintaining a database of case information, the end result bring a better service for both Employers and Employees and much more streamlined, simplified process.

Minister Bruton stated in relation to the initiation of the Workplace Relations Commission that the "Reform of the State’s employment rights and industrial relations bodies has two principal goals: to deliver a better service for employers and employees, and to deliver savings for the taxpayer, businesses and workers. We have seen major progress in these areas already, and the formal establishment of the WRC will see further gains. The announcement we are making today is a further important step towards the final delivery of this important reform".

The Workplace Relations Act 2015 provides for the following key measures:
  • The establishment of the Workplace Relations Commission, which will see the functions of the Labour Relations Commission, Rights Commissioner Service, the Equality Tribunal, the Employment Appeals Tribunal and the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA) combined. In addition to this the Labour Court will be reconfigured in order to hear appeals.
  • The establishment of the Office of Director General of the WRC.
  • The establishment of the WRC Board with responsibility for strategic objectives and the annual work programme.
  • A new emphasis on early resolution, mediation & adjudication of complaints under employment & equality legislation.
  • Employees of the WRC consisting of individuals from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.
  • A more transparent system for the appointment of adjudicators of the WRC and Chairman, Deputy Chairs and members of the Labour Court.
  • The appointment of additional Deputy Chairmen and Members to the Labour Court to facilitate the increased volume of complaints in the new system.
  • A statutory basis for the use of innovative measures such as Compliance Notices and Fixed Charge Notices to enhance the compliance functions of the WRC.
  • A standardised statement of the powers of inspectors under employment & equality legislation.
  • A standardised system where procedural matters across suite of employment rights/employment equality legislation will be put in place.

In addition to the introduction of the Workplace Relations Commission, restructuring will also take effect in a number of agencies, this includes:
  • The amalgamation of Forfás into the Department of Jobs.
  • 35 County/City Enterprise Boards have now been dissolved and replaced with 31 Local Enterprise Offices.
  • The National Consumer Agency and the Competition Authority have been merged to create the Consumer and Competition Protection Commission.
  • Transport and enterprise bodies in the Shannon region have been restructured, and Enterprise Ireland and IDA have taken on the enterprise support functions previously exercised by Shannon Development in the area.

Changes which have already been undertaken include the introduction of a single contact portal, a workplace relations complaint form and e-complaint facility, the launch of a single adjudication and appeals decisions database, completion of a selection process for an external panel of adjudicators, completion of a selection process for two new deputy chairs of the Labour Court, and implementation of enhanced technologies and business processes, including the completion of the procurement and design of a customer relationship management solution.

The coming months are likely to see an increase in the pace of change including finalisation of regulations concerning critical procedures, the introduction of a Customer Relationships Management System in the place of an ICT system in order to support complaints and also the introduction of adjudication management structures.

The previous system faced criticism in terms of the overlapping of the five employment rights bodies, its complex claims procedure, its lack of consistency and most notably the excessive timeframes both Complainants and Employers faced in terms of advancing a claim.

Employers should note complaints and appeals submitted to the Employment Appeals Tribunal before the commencement date of the Workplace Relations Commission will be dealt with by the Employment Appeals Tribunal. The Employment Appeals Tribunal will be dissolved when it has heard of complaints and appeals referred to it before the commencement date of 1st October 2015.

Annual Leave on Sick Leave  

An amendment to the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 is to come into effect which will allow Employees on sick leave to accrue annual leave during such absence.

This new legislation contained within the Workplace Relations Bill 2014 is expected to be enacted on 1st October or earlier. 

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    SIGN UP FOR FREE
    MONTHLY NEWSLETTER




    Archives

    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    July 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    RSS Feed

Adare HRM
Carmichael Centre
The Wheel

Privacy Policy
​

© 2021 Employerresources.ie