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Legislative Measures

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 September 2014

Wednesday, 17 September 2014

Questions (404)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

404. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if the Workplace Relations Bill 2014 is fully compliant with EU anti-discrimination law and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. [34396/14]

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Written answers

I am committed to delivering a world-class workplace relations service. The Workplace Relations Bill 2014 will give statutory effect to the reforms which I am currently introducing to the State’s existing employment rights and industrial relations structures.

This legislation provides a statutory basis for a new structure which will see the existing five workplace relations bodies replaced by two. The Labour Relations Commission (LRC), the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA), the Equality Tribunal, the first instance functions of the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) and the first instance functions of the Labour Court will be replaced by the new Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), and the appellate functions of the EAT will be transferred to a new expanded Labour Court.

The aim of the Bill is to create a modern, user-friendly, world-class employment workplace relations system that will provide significant benefits for its users and society as a whole. The focus will be on resolving the workplace disputes as quickly and inexpensively as possible. The Bill does not propose any alterations to the substantive equality law laid down in the Employment Equality Act, the Equal Status Act and the Pensions Act, which is already fully compliant with EU anti-discrimination directives.

Ireland has an excellent record in relation to equality matters. Ireland was in fact one of the first countries to create a wide-ranging equality law which pre-dated most of the European Equality Directives. The reforms that will be given legislative effect by the Workplace Relations Bill will modernise and enhance the redress mechanisms available to those who believe they have been discriminated against on the grounds set out in the Equality Acts. In addition to enhancing the equality redress mechanisms, I am satisfied that the new workplace relations structures and processes which will be given statutory effect by the legislation fully embody the spirit of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights.

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