Good and bad in long-awaited employment law reforms

The rules of engagement between employee and employer are undergoing major overhaul. A system that is no longer useful is being transformed. As a result, disputes between workers and their bosses should be resolved much more rapidly.

The reforms are not before time as the trade unions gear up to launch pay claims in an effort to claw back ground lost since the onset of the recession.

Details of the changes were set out at a conference in Dublin 10 days ago by the two most senior figures, on the official side, in the industrial relations world, Labour Court chairman Kevin Duffy, and the CEO of the Labour Relations Commission Kieran Mulvey.