The Workplace Relations Act 2015

The Workplace Relations Act 2015 was signed into law on 20 May 2015 and commenced on 1 October 2015. It was designed to create a stream lined employment dispute resolution process which is fast and cost efficient.

The Act creates a new regulatory environment where employers and employees will have to set their entire claims/defences out in advance, creating significant additional work for employers and employees. The Act also radically reforms the way employment law claims are processed and adjudicated in the Workplace Relations Commission. We can assist you in both defending and bringing these claims.

We can ensure that both Employers and Employees are up to date on this new framework as the Workplace Relations Commission can now draw inferences from failure to comply with the new rules. Both employers and employees risk losing cases which could otherwise have been won. It is also equally important to understand what claims employees can bring, and we can advise on how to bring such claims and equally how to defend them.

There are currently more than 30 separate pieces of employment legislation in Ireland so you will need our expert advice in navigating your way around the many pitfalls in this complex area of the law. Many employers are finding it difficult to keep up to date in the developments in this complex and challenging area of law resulting in numerous claims being taken and in many instances employers losing cases simply due to not having proper policies and procedures in place or failing to understand basic employment rights in the workplace.

There are a number of key areas of possible difficulty for you as an employer and which can lead to costly and expensive mistakes in your dealings with your employees some of which include; the contract of employment, payment of wages, working time and annual leave entitlements, discrimination and equality in the workplace, health and safety law, unfair dismissals and redundancy issues.

If you are unsure of any aspect of Employment Law and how it applies to you as an employer do not hesitate to contact our office for a consultation.