Industrial relations act, 1969

• Enactment Date: 03 June 1969
• Act Number: 14

Number 14 of 1969
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS ACT, 1969
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
Section 1. Definitions. 2. Membership of the Court. 3. Divisions of the Court. 4. Deputy chairman of the Court. 5. Superannuation for chairman and ordinary members of the Court. 6. Industrial relations officers. 7. Interpretation of employment agreements. 8. Investigation of trade dispute to be in private. 9. Inclusion of members of the Court on public service arbitration boards. 10. Breaches of registered employment agreements. 11. Fair employment rules. 12. Enforcement of sections 10 and 11. 13. Rights commissioners. 14. Prohibition on disclosure of information. 15. Amendment of section 23 of Principal Act. 16. Amendment of section 43 of Principal Act. 17. Extension of Part VI of Principal Act. 18. Amendment of section 67 of Principal Act. 19. Amendment of section 68 of Principal Act. 20. Investigation of dispute by Court at request of parties. 21. Dissolution of Electricity Supply Board manual workers and general employees tribunals. 22. Laying of orders before Houses of Oireachtas. 23. Repeals. 24. Short title, construction and collective citation.
SCHEDULE
Acts Referred to Industrial Relations Act, 1946 1946, No. 26. Civil Service Commissioners Act, 1956 1956, No, 45. Civil Service Commissioners Act, 1956 1956, No. 46. Civil Service Regulation Acts, 1958 1958, No. 34. Local Government Act, 1941 1941, No. 23. Civil Service Commissioners Act, 1956 1956, No. 45. Civil Service Commissioners Act, 1956 1956, No. 46. Civil Service Regulation Acts, 1958 1958, No. 34. Public Assistance Act, 1939 1939, No. 27. Civil Service Regulation Act, 1956 1956, No. 46. Defence Act, 1954 1954, No. 18. Electricity Supply Board (Superannuation) Act, 1942 1942, No. 17. Electricity (Supply) (Amendment) Act, 1949 1949, No. 12.
Number 14 of 1969
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS ACT, 1969
AN ACT TO AMEND AND EXTEND THE INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS ACT, 1946 . [3rd June, 1969.]
BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:
	Definitions.	1.—In this Act—
	“the Court” means the Labour Court;
	“the Minister” means the Minister for Labour;
	“the Principal Act” means the Industrial Relations Act, 1946 .
	Membership of the Court.	2.—The Court shall consist of a chairman, (in this Act referred to as the chairman) and, either, as the Minister may from time to time in his discretion determine, four or six ordinary members (in this Act referred to as the ordinary members) of whom (if there are four ordinary members) two shall be workers' members and two shall be employers' members and (if there are six ordinary members) three shall be workers' members and three shall be employers' members.
	Divisions of the Court.	3.—Whenever the chairman is of opinion that for the speedy dispatch of the business of the Court it is expedient that the Court should act by divisions, he may direct accordingly, and, until he revokes his direction—
	(a) the Court shall be grouped into—
	(i) a first division, consisting of the chairman (who shall be chairman of the division) and a workers' member and an employers' member selected by him,
	(ii) a second division, consisting of the deputy chairman appointed under section 4 (1) of this Act (who shall be chairman of the division), a workers' member and an employers' member, and
	(iii) if the direction so provides, a third division consisting of the deputy chairman appointed under section 4 (4) of this Act (who shall be chairman of the division) and a workers' member and an employers' member;
	(b) the chairman shall assign to each division the business to be transacted by it;
	(c) for the purpose of the business so assigned to it, each division shall have all the powers of the Court and the chairman of the division shall have all the powers of the chairman and references in this Act to the Court and the chairman shall be construed as including references to a division and the chairman of a division respectively.
	Deputy chairman of the Court.	4.—(1) The Minister shall appoint a deputy chairman who shall hold office on such terms as shall be fixed by the Minister when appointing him.
	(2) The deputy chairman appointed under subsection (1) of this section shall, in the absence of the chairman, act in his place and references in the Principal Act and this Act to the chairman shall be construed as including references to the deputy chairman aforesaid so acting.
	(3) The deputy chairman appointed under subsection (1) of this section shall be paid such remuneration (by way of either fees or salary) and allowances as the Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, determines.
	(4) The Minister may appoint a second deputy chairman who shall hold office on such terms as shall be fixed by the Minister when appointing him.
	(5) The deputy chairman (if any) appointed under subsection (4) of this section may be paid such fees as the Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, determines.
	(6) No person shall be appointed to be a deputy chairman unless he is ordinarily resident in the State.
	(7) Neither the Civil Service Commissioners Act, 1956 , nor the Civil Service Regulation Acts, 1956 and 1958 , shall apply to the office of deputy chairman of the Court.
	Superannuation for chairman and ordinary members of the Court.	5.—(1) The Minister may, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, make a scheme or schemes for the granting of pensions, gratuities and other allowances on retirement to or in respect of the chairman, a deputy chairman appointed under section 4 (1) of this Act who is required by the Minister to devote the whole of his working time to the duties of the office of deputy chairman, and the ordinary members of the Court.
	(2) The Minister may, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, at any time amend a scheme made by him under this section.
	(3) A scheme made by the Minister under this section shall be carried out by the Minister in accordance with its terms.
	(4) If any dispute arises as to the claim of any person to, or the amount of, any pension, gratuity or allowance payable in pursuance of a scheme under this section, such dispute shall be submitted to the Minister who shall refer it to the Minister for Finance, whose decision shall be final.
	(5) Every scheme made by the Minister under this section shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made and if either House, within the next twenty-one days on which that House has sat after the scheme is laid before it, passes a resolution annulling the scheme, the scheme shall be annulled accordingly, but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done thereunder.
	(6) The Minister shall grant and pay to Cathal O'Shannon, upon his retirement without re-appointment from membership of the Labour Court, a pension for his life of one thousand, one hundred and twenty-five pounds per annum and a gratuity of one thousand, six hundred and eighty-eight pounds.
	(7) The Minister shall grant and pay to Ernest Edmonson Benson, upon his retirement without re-appointment from membership of the Labour Court, a gratuity of three thousand pounds.
	(8) The Minister shall grant and pay to Joseph Stapleton Quigley, upon his retirement without re-appointment from membership of the Labour Court, a gratuity of three thousand pounds.
	Industrial relations officers.	6.—(1) The Court may appoint officers of the Court to act as industrial relations officers (and officers so appointed shall be known as industrial relations officers) and any reference in the Principal Act to a conciliation officer shall be construed as a reference to an industrial relations officer.
	(2) Industrial relations officers shall perform any duties assigned to them by the Court or the chairman and, in particular, they shall assist in the prevention and settlement of trade disputes and in the establishment and maintenance of means for conducting voluntary negotiations between employers and workers either generally or in particular industries or particular areas or between particular employers and their workers.
	Interpretation of employment agreements.	7.—The Court may, at any time, on the application of the parties to an agreement between an employer or a trade union of employers and a worker or a trade union of workers relating to the pay or conditions of employment of any person to whom the agreement relates give its decision as to the interpretation of the agreement or its application to a particular person.
	Investigation of trade dispute to be in private.	8.—(1) An investigation of a trade dispute by the Court shall be conducted in private, but the Court shall, if requested to do so by a party to the dispute, conduct the investigation in public.
	(2) Where an investigation of a trade dispute is being carried out by the Court in public, the Court may, if it is satisfied that any part of the investigation concerns a matter that should, in the interests of any party to the dispute, be treated as confidential, conduct that part of the investigation in private.
	Inclusion of members of the Court on public service arbitration boards.	9.—(1) The membership of any board established either before or after the commencement of this section to report on claims in relation to the pay and conditions of service and matters relating thereto of any person who—
	(a) holds a position in the Civil Service of the Government or the Civil Service of the State,
	(b) is a member...