Labor and Industrial Relations

Our lawyers are experienced in all aspects of labour and industrial relations. Our recent experience includes advising: 

• two multinational clothing retailers on strategic discussions with Mandate and SIPTU trade unions. Whilst at the outset, both businesses were slow to actively engage with the unions, we advised that by having appropriate high level discussions with the union rep, it led to more honest discussions with employees and removed some of the fear of the change. We successfully moved over 100 staff to new stores and negotiated exit packages with the impacted staff who were not in a position to move location
• a multinational engineering company in a contentious threat of industrial action involving a picket of the Aviva Stadium. The dispute arose when the business lost a tender and staff wanted to transfer to the new service provider. We engaged in mediation and then negotiation with Connect and SIPTU, which involved complex analysis of the application of the TUPE Regulations on the transfer of a service contract. We ultimately successfully resolved the dispute for both the employees and the company – and avoided discontent for Irish soccer fans during a World Cup Qualifier
• a wind energy company on an attempt by the TEEU/Connect trade union to obtain a Labour Court recommendation and determination that the pay and terms and conditions of certain categories of workers should be increased on the basis that they were less favourable than similar employments. The Labour Court ultimately found the workers had not established that they were comparable with those workers with whom they sought to compare themselves and that it therefore had no jurisdiction to intervene in the dispute
• Ireland’s national broadcaster on the employment status of a group of actors on a long-running soap opera and engaging with the actor’s trade union on the most appropriate means of engagement