In cases of a company closure, the agreement of a closure package is, of course, a matter for the employer and the employees concerned. The redundancy payments Acts, 1967-91, place a statutory obligation on employers to compensate employees who are made redundant. The Acts lay down minimum payments which must be made to employees in the event of their jobs ceasing to exist.
I recognise that in many cases, employers agree to payments in excess of the statutory minimum. Where disputes arise in relation to the agreement of a closure package, the normal industrial relations mechanisms provided by the statutory agencies, the Labour Relations Commission and the Labour Court are available to the parties to the dispute.
This country has a well developed voluntary industrial relations system. The system leaves it to the parties involved in any dispute to attempt to reach a resolution themselves. The labour relations agencies are available to assist in the resolution of a dispute, at the request of the parties. I would encourage the parties to any dispute to avail of such services where appropriate.
