Employment

Legislative plans to introduce statutory sick pay in Ireland are reportedly being considered by ministers today. Tánaiste and Enterprise, Trade and Employment Ministers Leo Varadkar will seek approval for a new bill introducing the right to sick leave on a phased basis beginning from 2022.

A new single UK workers' rights watchdog is set to take responsibility for tackling modern slavery, enforcing the minimum wage and protecting agency workers. The new watchdog will incorporate HMRC National Minimum Wage Enforcement, the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority and the Employment Agency

Emergency legislation allowing for Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) hearings to continue to take place in light of the Zalewski judgment will come forward "in the next couple of weeks", Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said. The landmark Supreme Court judgment in Zalewski, handed down in April,

Supermarkets in the UK have suffered another blow in the battle for equal pay after the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled employees working in stores can compare their roles to colleagues working in distribution centres for the purpose of equal pay. Before the UK left the EU, the C

Young people, people with disabilities, Travellers and East European migrants are at much higher risk of disadvantage around employment and have less access to "decent work" in Ireland, a new report has found. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and the Economic and Social Research Instit

The right to disconnect should be incorporated into Irish law through legislation, a new report has recommended. The 33-page report, from the Covid-19 Law and Human Rights Observatory at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), outlines the existing law and argues that it is insufficient to provide adequate an

The government has lent backing in principle to proposed legislation to introduce reproductive health-related leave in Ireland, including paid leave for employees who have suffered a miscarriage or stillbirth. A private member's bill to introduce reproductive health-related leave through an amendmen

Northern Ireland's unemployment rate remains low in comparison to the rest of the UK but the end of furlough in September will be the "big test", employment law expert Andrew Lightburn has said. Mr Lightburn, director at the Belfast office of DWF, welcomed the latest NISRA figures showing that North

Proposals to abolish the Agricultural Wages Board (AWB) in Northern Ireland have been put to a public consultation. The AWB is responsible for setting of minimum rates of pay and certain terms and conditions for agricultural workers in the agriculture and horticulture sectors.

Major reforms may be required before the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) can resume hearing cases in the aftermath of a landmark Supreme Court ruling, a leading employment lawyer has warned. Speaking to Irish Legal News this morning, Dublin solicitor Richard Grogan said it could take months bef

A new chairperson and four new members have been appointed to the board of the Labour Relations Agency (LRA). Gordon Milligan, deputy chief executive of Translink, has been appointed to serve as chair of the board for a three-year term.

Employment solicitor Leanne McKeown of Rosemary Connolly Employment & Equality Solicitors examines the lessons of a ruling against a law firm accused of age and disability discrimination. In a stark reminder to respondents and their legal advisers on the importance of deadlines, the Employment T

The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) held 2,000 fewer adjudication hearings last year than it otherwise would have due to the Covid-19 pandemic. According to its annual report for 2020, the WRC held 1,899 adjudication hearings last year, 1,609 of which were face-to-face and 290 which were virtua

People working with children or vulnerable adults could have to undergo re-vetting every three years under a proposed strengthening of the Garda vetting system. Justice Minister Helen McEntee today announced the establishment of an interdepartmental group to review Garda vetting arrangements and leg

Health and safety protections will be extended to gig economy and precarious workers in Northern Ireland next month following a landmark court ruling in London last year. The Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 (Protection from Detriment in Health and Safety Cases) (Amendment) Order (Nor