The main sources of Irish employment equality law are the Employment Equality Acts, 1998-2008 and various EU directives such as the Equal Pay Directive (75/117/EEC), the Equal Treatment Directive (76/207/EEC), and the General Framework Directive (2000/78/EC). And they can cause great difficulties for Irish business owners (who can also be held vicariously liable for the … Read more
The entitlement to parental leave and force majeure leave in Irish employment law are conferred by the Parental Leave Act, 1998 and 2006. A natural or adoptive parent whose child has reached the age of 8 is entitled to fourteen working weeks of parental leave. The parent must have at least one year’s continuous service … Read more
The Employment Appeals Tribunal is an independent body that was set up to provide an informal but speedy solution to employment law disputes. Whilst it may still be relatively informal (compared to going to Court for example) the question of speed is an open one in the current climate, such is the workload. Types of … Read more
Maternity leave, and the entitlement to maternity leave, is provided for by the Maternity Protection Act, 1994 and the Maternity Protection (Amendment) Act, 2004. Statutory Instrument 446/1994 (Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Pregnant Employees) Regulations, 1994 is also highly relevant. Maternity Leave Entitlement The minimum entitlement for a pregnant employee is for 26 consecutive … Read more
Annual leave, like minimum rest periods for employees, is covered by the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997. The first thing to note about annual leave is that all employees are entitled to paid holidays/annual leave. There is no qualification requirement and part time employees are also protected by the Protection of Employees (Part Time) … Read more