Back to Basics: Employment Law in ROI

Back to Basics: Employment Law in ROI

The Back to Basics: Employment Law in ROI online course is specifically designed to give attendees a thorough grounding in the main components of Irish employment law.  An understanding of core Irish specific employment laws is more important than ever before.

This is an interactive 2 x half-day online event, delivered by a team of highly experienced employment law experts. The sessions will be supported by a comprehensive pack of notes on Irish employment law as well as a number of practical exercises throughout the sessions to help enforce learning.  The online sessions will also be complemented with access to a number of additional e-learning programmes aimed to help supplement attendees’ understanding of Employment Laws in ROI. 

What are the learning outcomes?

  • By the end of this event, attendees will:
  • Have a clear understanding of the key points and principles of employment law in ROI. 
  • Understand the concept of natural justice in disciplinary and grievance procedures. 
  • Understand the importance of following organisational policies and procedures. 
  • Be able to understand and handle common workplace scenarios, having learnt through worked examples. 

What will be covered?

  • The role of the WRC and the Irish Courts’ System for the enforcement of employment rights 
  • Basics of employment contracts (including the implications of implied terms)  
  • Working Time and Leave (including an overview on The Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023) 
  • Disciplinary procedures and performance management 
  • Fair and unfair dismissals (including Employment Tribunal basics) 
  • Protected disclosures (whistleblowing) 
  • Scope of the Employment Equality Acts 

Additional Learning Aids

In addition to attending the live sessions with our experts, attendees will have exclusive access to the following e-learning programmes to complete in their own time:

  • Whistleblowing Awareness in the Workplace
  • Data Protection in the Workplace
  • Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace

When and where?

This event will take place online over 2 half days; 5th & 6th June 2024. Online

Price?

Standard Rate: €445

Standard Charity/Small Company* Rate: €395

*Save an additional €20 when you pay online with debit or credit card at the time of booking.

*All organisations with fewer than 50 employees or charities qualify for our Charity/Small company rate. The number of employees includes all branches, subsidiary/parent companies, boards, trusts and federated organisations.

Programme

Day 1  

09.10  

Welcome and Introduction  

Victoria Smith, Knowledge Partner, Legal Island 

09.20 

Irish Employment Law in Context  

In this session, Dr Gerry McMahon, HR Consultant and former Adjudication Officeroutlines the key sources of law that influence the legal relationship between employees and employersThis includes: 

  • The Irish Constitution 
  • Domestic and EU Legislation 
  • Case law 
  • Industrial Relations Law - collective agreements, Employment Regulation Orders and Sectoral Employment Order 
  • Custom and Practice 

09.45 

Role of the WRC and the Irish Courts’ System for enforcement of employment rights 

In this session, Dr Gerry McMahon outlines the role of the WRC in: 

  • Providing information on employment rights and responsibilities 
  • Conducting workplace inspections 
  • Providing an Adjudication Service   

We also consider options available to parties that are unhappy with a WRC decision or who prefer to seek redress through other available fora. 
 
Includes Q&A  

10.15 

Comfort Break  

10.25 

Contracts of Employment Part 1 

A contract of employment is made up of both written and implied terms and contracts are influenced by statute, industry and competition for talentThis session by Grace Lee, Lewis Silkin Employment Team highlights: 

  • Types of employment (permanent, fixed term, agency workers, full/part-time) 
  • Employment status (including gig economy) 
  • Formation of a contract of employment – offer, acceptance, consideration, certainty, legally binding. 

11.00 

Refreshment Break   

11.30 

Contracts of Employment Part 2 

 Siobhra Rush, Partner, Lewis Silkin Employment Team continues with Contracts of Employment highlighting: 

  • Written terms of employment and other contractual terms, e.g. probation, minimum terms, remote and hybrid working, EU requirements, employee handbooks (including essential policies/procedures); flexible working; SSP 
  • Minimum employment rights in relation to pay, hours, holidays and sickness entitlement (SSP).  
  • Varying contracts of employment  

12.15 

Interactive Exercise – Varying a Contact of Employment and Q&A with Siobhra Rush

12.50 

Close of Day 1  

 Day 2 

09.10  

Welcome to Day 2  

Victoria Smith, Knowledge Partner, Legal Island 

09.15 

Discrimination and Employment Equality Part 1 

In this session, Marian Jennings, Solicitor and Employment Law Lecturer, provides an overview of the scope of the Employment Equality Acts 1998 – 2015 and includes an outline of: 

  • Scope of the Employment Equality Acts 
  • 9 Protected Grounds and Latest Developments 
  • Definitions: direct and indirect discrimination; victimisation; harassment; vicarious liability.  
  • Avoiding discrimination in access to employment.  

09.50 

Comfort Break 

10.00 

Discrimination and Equality Part 2 

Marian continues in this session to explore the implications of the Employment Equality Acts and includes a brief outline of: 

  • Pregnancy and maternity rights. 
  • Harassment & Sexual HarassmentCode of Practice. 
  • Disability discrimination and duty to make reasonable accommodations. 
  • Equal pay and gender pay gap reporting.  
  • Retirement age and dismissal   

10.35 

Discrimination Scenarios and Q&A Session  

11.00 

Refreshment Break  

11.30 

Discipline and Dismissal  

Employing fair procedures in a dismissal situation is essential in demonstrating fairnessThis session, delivered by Niamh Crotty, Senior Associate, Lewis Silkin Employment Team, outlines what is meant by fair procedures and considers the right to claim unfair dismissal.

  • Topics include: The Unfair Dismissals Acts 1997 - 2015 – employer obligations and employee rights/requirements 
  • Fair procedures – essential elements 
  • Wrongful Dismissal (including injunctions) 

12.15 

Q&

12.30 

Key Developments in Employment Law in the Next 12 Months 

In this final session Niamh Crotty will highlight some recent key employment developments and what we expect to see in the next 12-month period which includes: Right to request remote and flexible working 

  • Retirement ages/requests to work beyond mandatory retirement age 
  • Gender Pay Gap Reporting / Pay Transparency 
  • Collective bargaining / EWCs 

12.50 

Final Q&A and Close of Event  

 

Testimonials

"An excellent overview of employment law with knowledgeable speakers." Ulla Quayle, DECC

"Excellent overview of a whole spectrum of complicated areas of employment law. Clear, concise and detailed with plenty of supporting notes to deep dive into, with recordings afterwards!"

"Detail of the information provided, very helpful and easy to understand." Joanne Smit, Almac Group

Presenters


  • Dr Gerry McMahon
    Dr Gerry McMahon Managing Director
    Productive Personnel Ltd

    Gerry McMahon is acknowledged as a national expert in the area of People Management and Employee Relations.  He has over 40 years’ practical experience working as an advisor/consultant in the area, across a range of sectors.  He also has extensive experience working as a consultant, trainer, facilitator, team builder, negotiator, adjudicator, mediator, coach, investigator, researcher, arbitrator and expert witness on behalf of a wide range of Government departments, public sector enterprises, semi-state entities, blue chip companies, professional institutes, trade unions, staff associations, employer and community/voluntary and religious organisations.

     

  • Grace Lee
    Grace Lee Associate
    Lewis silkin

    Grace is an Associate on the Employment Team.

    Grace supports employers from various sectors on all aspects of employment law. She advises employers on a range of contentious and non-contentious employment issues. Her expertise includes advising on day-to-day general employment law issues such as redundancy processes, employment contracts, company policies and handbooks, advising on settlement negotiations and disciplinary and grievance procedures.

    Grace also assists with claims for unfair dismissal, discrimination, and other employment law claims before the Workplace Relations Commission, the Labour Court, the Circuit and High Courts.

  • Marian Jennings
    Marian Jennings Specialist in Employment & Business Law
    TU Dublin

    Marian is an experienced Law Lecturer, with a specialist offering developed over 20 years, in Employment and Business Law. She offers the combined value of a proven track record in academia together with professional private practice/in-house legal roles and significant board, governance and organisational management experience in the community and voluntary sector.  

  • Niamh Crotty
    Niamh Crotty Senior Associate
    Lewis silkin

    Niamh is a senior associate in Lewis Silkin’s Employment, Immigration and Reward division based in Dublin. 

    Niamh advises on the full range of day to day employment matters, such as contract and policy reviews, providing support with investigations, grievances and disciplinary processes, advising on severance negotiations and other employee relations matters. She also has experience advising on large collective redundancy processes and acting for employers defending employee claims in the WRC and Labour Court. She was previously based in Lewis Silkin’s London office.

    She is particularly interested in the future of work and supports Lewis Silkin's innovative Future of Work Hub initiative which aims to support organisations in their horizon-scanning to enable them to see ahead, identify and anticipate future opportunities and challenges and evaluate how best to respond. She is currently a part-time student of Dublin City University's MSc in Work and Organisational Behaviour.

  • Síobhra Rush
    Síobhra Rush Partner
    Lewis Silkin LLP

    Síobhra is a Partner in the Employment, Immigration and Reward department and head of the Dublin office.

    She has practised employment law for more than twenty years and has expertise in a wide range of employment law issues, both contentious and non-contentious. She also advises international clients establishing in Ireland – including on contracts of employment, handbooks policies and procedures. She has advised on internal commercial re-organisations, transfer of undertakings, employment issues and the employment provisions in commercial transactions and has represented clients in all adjudicatory bodies in Ireland including the Workplace Relations Commission, the Labour Court, the Circuit and High Courts and the Court of Appeal.

    She is consistently ranked in the Chambers Europe legal directory, where she is described by a client as "responsive, proactive and pragmatic, as well as solution-oriented."

Event details

Duration

2 Half Days: 5th & 6th June

Date

05 June 2024

Location

Online

Price

Standard Rate: €445

Standard Charity/Small Company* Rate: €395

*Save an additional €20 when you pay online with debit or credit card at the time of booking.