Chamber’s HR service in high demand

The Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) has said that employment law is one of the chief concerns of Irish owner-managers.

CCI deputy chief executive Conor Brennan said: “Against a backdrop of 25 Acts, 50 new pieces of labour legislation and eight bodies regulating the area of employment, businesses are running scared.”

Mr Brennan said industrial relations is a highly complex field that owner-managers feel ill equipped to navigate while lacking in the necessary skills, knowledge or time.

“It is an environment in which owner-managers find the scales increasingly tipped against them and we are now seeing a situation where three out of four employment appeals cases are decided in favour of the employee,” he said.

The CCI reported sales of €1.5m for its Chamber HR service in the six months since it was launched in January this year, reflecting the concern among businesses.

“We devised Chamber HR to provide a service to equip owner-managers with professional advice and indemnity against the negative costs of employment appeals cases.

“The strong sales so far are, we believe, a clear indication of the fear owner-managers feel and demand for assistance in the field,” he added.

Chamber HR is a human resources/industrial relations support service for members offering employers interpretation of the law, expert advice on human resources management plus indemnification against legal and award costs associated with pursuing a claim in the Labour Relations Commission or Employment Appeals Tribunal.

Chamber HR is available to all members through CCI’s 59 affiliated chambers on the island of Ireland.

Article courtesy of the Evening Echo