Ibec has joined a number of the country’s largest trade unions in calling on the Government to reappoint the Labour Court’s deputy chair in order to avoid substantial disruption at the State-backed industrial relations organisation.
Barrister Alan Haugh was expected to be reappointed to a third five-year term at the court until it emerged at the start of this week that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) had intervened to block the renewal of his warrant (essentially his contract).
News of the intervention came to light when the court’s management wrote to legal practitioners warning of the severe disruption and delay it is set to cause. The court is already short one deputy chair as Louise O’Donnell was made chair in April. Mr Haugh is due to depart this week.
The department was acting on the basis of a Government policy, previously said to apply to chief executives at State bodies and agencies, that limits senior officials to 10 years in their position.
READ MORE
Mr Haugh told The Irish Times on Wednesday that the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment had twice said he would be reappointed. He described the decision by DPER to veto his renewal as a “terrible attack on the independence of the court”.
What can we potentially look forward to in Budget 2026?
On Thursday, Ibec said the Government needs to “urgently address the resourcing issues impacting the Labour Court”.
Its executive director of employer relations, Maeve McElwee, said the court plays “a critical role in upholding employment rights in Ireland”. She said “with no legal impediment to the reissuing of the warrant, the interests of good industrial relations should take precedence”.
Ms McElwee said the move is required “to avoid the inevitable backlog of cases”. She was critical of the “lack of planning” by the two Government departments involved.
Siptu, meanwhile, said it had written to three Government Ministers “calling for their urgent intervention to ensure the reappointment”.
The union’s deputy general secretary, John King, said “the failure to reappoint a key position in the Labour Court is a major blow to the effectiveness of the State’s industrial relations mechanisms”. He added that “thousands of workers across the country” will be “denied the right to a prompt resolution of their personal workplace issues under employment law”.
Mr King said the union had written to Jack Chambers, Peter Burke and Paschal Donohoe, stating that that they “must move quickly to resolve this situation”.
The general secretary of another union, Connect, which represents more than 30,000 craft workers, also outlined the importance of a resolution.
Paddy Kavanagh said “there are already long delays in the hearing of cases”. He added that “while our members would prefer to have a properly functioning Labour Court . . . they are prepared and ready to take collective industrial action when and wherever necessary”.
