Minister Announces Publication Of Guide To The Employees Act

Mr Tony Killeen, Irish Minister for Labour Affairs at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, has drawn attention to the fact that companies with at least 100 employees will fall within the scope of the Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Act 2006 from 23rd March 2007.

The Minister announced the publication of an Explanatory Guide for employers and employees on the Act. The Act came into operation on the 24th July 2006 (S.I. No. 382 of 2006) and has applied to undertakings with at least 150 employees from 4th September 2006 (S.I. No. 383 of 2006).

Announcing the publication of the Guide Minister Killeen said: “The Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Act 2006 sets the framework for a new era of effective, two-way information and consultation practices in undertakings. It establishes a general framework setting out minimum requirements for the right to information and consultation of employees. The purpose of the Guide is to provide general guidance on the Act to employees and employers in non-legal language. It sets out the provisions of the Act in a clear and user-friendly way”.

The aim of the Act is to ensure that information and consultation is provided by employers systematically so that employees are able to acquire an informed understanding of the challenges faced by the business. Improving the adaptability of Irish workplaces is vital to meeting the challenges created by the globalised economy. Timely information and meaningful consultation are fundamental in this regard. The Act respects Ireland’s voluntarist tradition of industrial relations and allows maximum flexibility to employers and employees to implement new procedures or continue with existing customised information and consultation arrangements.

The Explanatory Guide forms part of a wider dissemination strategy for the new Act. As well as a media campaign in September 2006 and the publication of this Guide, the Department is working, in conjunction with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the Irish Business and Employers Confederation and the National Centre for Partnership and Performance, to assist and support employers and employees through the Workplace Innovation Fund to grasp the opportunities offered by the new Act.