Employee relations: Ireland employment law

Essential points

• Irish law provides for freedom of association and freedom of dissociation. 
• Freedom of association means employees have a right to form and join trade unions. 
• Freedom of dissociation means that employers are not obliged to negotiate with trade unions.
• Many employers voluntarily choose to negotiate with trade unions. 
• Some employers choose not to do so. Such non-union employers can, in certain circumstances, be required to apply terms and conditions of employment to their employees that are set by the Labour Court.
• In theory, employees who engage in strike action are in fundamental breach of their contracts of employment. However, a range of protections have been provided to employees and their unions in respect of certain aspects relating to strikes picketing and industrial action. 
• Many of these protections require employees and/or unions to comply with certain obligations in respect of ballots, notification and so on.