Minister Calleary responds to IBEC’s call for reform of the JLC system

Posted on 10/06/09 by Dara Calleary The Minister for Labour Affairs, Dara Calleary TD responded today (10 June)

to IBEC's call for an overhaul of the Joint Labour Committee system.

 

According to Minister Calleary, "In Towards 2016, the Social Partners

committed to measures aimed at modernising and streamlining the Joint

Labour Committee system, including the rationalisation of the number of

committees. The implementation of these measures is now well advanced. As

part of the modernisation exercise, rationalisation of JLCs in a number of

sectors, including contract cleaning, hairdressing, clothing and textile

sectors, have already taken place and an agreement in principle to

amalgamate the two JLCs in the Catering sector has been reached by the

social partners."

 

"With a view to continuing the modernisation process, the Government

committed, in the context of the Review and Transitional Agreement, to the

introduction of legislation to strengthen the existing system for the

making of both Employment Regulation Orders and Registered Employment

Agreements and to provide for their continued effective operation,

including, in particular:

• The introduction of legislation to strengthen the existing system for
the making of both Employment Regulation Orders (EROs) and Registered
Employment Agreements and to provide for their continued effective
operation; and
• Measures to provide for improved operational procedures to include
the nomination of chairmen for JLCs for a fixed term of office and the
continued enhancement of expertise and competencies through the practice of
nominating chairmen on the basis of their experience and qualifications for
the role."

"Work on the preparation of the legislation is well advanced and I am very
committed to bringing this forward as soon as possible." said the Minister.

 

 

Minister Calleary added, "I am very conscious of the difficulties that many

firms operating in sectors covered by EROs are experiencing as a result of

the current economic crisis. It is my view that the parties represented on

the JLCs are best placed to address the impact of the economic crisis on

employment levels and the viability of services in the sectors. I believe

that the recent experience in the catering trade has demonstrated how a

constructive engagement by the employer and trade union representatives

directly involved in the Joint Labour Committee mechanism can help to

promote a shared response to current problems affecting the viability of

services and the sustainability of employment at sector level. "

 

The Minister concluded, "the Government is always open to consider

proposals from social partners on any aspects of the industrial relations

legal framework and institutional machinery and IBEC's proposals in

relation to the JLC system can be considered in this context."

 

(This press release is also available on the Departments website at

www.entemp.ie)

 

ENDS/LA327

Note for Editors

Joint Labour Committee System

Joint Labour Committees (JLCs) are statutory bodies established under the

Industrial Relations Acts 1946-2004 that provide machinery for the fixing

of minimum rates of pay and the regulation of conditions of employment.

JLCs are established by order of the Labour Court. A JLC can be established

by the Labour Court on application from the Minister, or representative

employers or employees.

 

JLCs operate in areas where collective bargaining is not well established

and wages tend to be low (e.g. hairdressing, hotels sector). They are

composed of representatives of employers and workers in a particular sector

and they meet periodically to discuss and agree terms and conditions to

apply to specified workers in that sector. When a JLC agrees terms and

conditions, it makes proposals to the Labour Court on foot of which the

Court can make Employment Regulation Orders (ERO). EROs are statutory

instruments which set out terms and conditions applying to specified

workers in a particular sector.