Employment

Asylum seekers continue to face major barriers to entering employment more than three years after a landmark Supreme Court ruling on the right to work, the Irish Refugee Council has said. The absolute prohibition on employment for asylum seekers was found to be unconstitutional by Ireland's top cour

Barrister Mark O'Connell reminds employers of their health and safety responsibilities to employees working from home. Without doubt – and even when the current disruption caused by COVID-19 abates – a much greater proportion of employees will be fulfilling more of their duties from home

Lawyers have experienced an increase in queries from employees who have been asked to return to work despite no change in public health guidance in Northern Ireland. Law Centre NI said recent statements by Prime Minister Boris Johnson had led to confusion in Northern Ireland, where advice for worker

A proposed new legal right for employees to work from home would be difficult to meaningfully enforce, a Belfast solicitor has said. The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is currently considering the introduction of a new statutory right to work from home in order to s

In-house lawyers and HR professionals are optimistic about the re-opening of workplaces by September 2020, according to a new survey conducted by Mason Hayes & Curran (MHC). The business law firm surveyed around 300 participants in a recent webinar on the employment law and health and safety iss

A significant "spike" in complaints to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) put the body under strain in 2019, according to its annual report. The WRC's adjudication service received 8,309 complaint applications in 2019, encompassing 20,939 individual complaints, the report states.

The right to work from home could be enshrined in employment law in Germany later this year, according to reports. Hubertus Heil, the federal minister for labour and social affairs, told Bild am Sonntag that he would bring forward legislation in autumn.

The High Court has dismissed an action challenging the constitutionality of the procedures of the Workplace Relations Commission. Background

The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has launched a consultation on remote hearings during the coronavirus pandemic. All adjudication hearings, face-to-face conciliations and meditations, and on-site inspections have been postponed until after Tuesday 5 May 2020.

Employment law solicitor Richard Grogan of Richard Grogan & Associates flags up a legislative flaw that could have a major impact after the coronavirus pandemic. Section 678 of the Companies Act 2014 is a problem in the making for employment lawyers. You might wonder why it would have any releva

Employment law solicitor Richard Grogan of Richard Grogan & Associates explores the law on discrimination by one employee against another. The issue of the liability of an employer for the actions of another employee towards a fellow employee is covered in section 15 of the Employment Equality A

Solicitor Gwendolen Morgan has been appointed as registrar to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). Ms Morgan is an England and Irish-qualified solicitor with over 15 years' experience in public law, human rights and employment equality law.

Employment law solicitor Richard Grogan of Richard Grogan & Associates argues that Irish employers should not take advantage of the new temporary wage subsidy scheme introduced in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Bill 2020 was in

The High Court has refused an appeal from a determination of the Labour Court taken by an employee who claimed that he was being disciplined for having made protection disclosures. Background

Anne Lyne, partner at Hayes solicitors, has been appointed as chair of the Employment Law Association of Ireland (ELAI). Ms Lyne, who succeeds outgoing chair Peter Murphy, joins secretary Julie Galbraith, treasurer Ciarán Ahern and deputy chair Linda Hynes on the committee of the association.