Cabinet approves collective bargaining laws

The Cabinet has given the go-ahead for legislation which will allow trade unions to seek pay increases for workers even where their employer does not recognise collective bargaining.

Unions say the proposal could help improve the terms and conditions of employment for thousands of Irish workers.

According to the Department of Jobs, Enterprise, and Innovation, the laws will ensure that, where an employer chooses not to engage in collective bargaining either with a trade union or an internal representative body, “the 2001 Act will be remediated to ensure there is an effective means for a union, on behalf of members in that employment, to have disputed remuneration, terms and conditions assessed against relevant comparators and determined by the Labour Court if necessary”.