Unfair Dismissals (Amendment) Act, 1993
I gCúrsaí Gearr
This law amends and expands the Unfair Dismissals Acts of 1977 and 1991, dealing with changes to how unfair dismissals are defined and handled. It updates various sections of the Principal Act to address new circumstances and protections for employees.
Cad a Rialálann sé
- The definition of "trade union" and "the Tribunal" (now the Employment Appeals Tribunal).
- Circumstances where an employee's re-employment after a dismissal does not break continuity of service, especially if the dismissal was to avoid liability under the Act.
- The definition of unfair dismissal in cases of lock-outs, strikes, or other industrial action.
- Additional grounds for considering a dismissal unfair, such as race, colour, sexual orientation, age, or membership of the travelling community.
Cé dó a Bhaineann sé
- Employees who have been dismissed from their employment.
- Employers who dismiss employees.
Príomhphointí
- The law clarifies that if an employee is re-employed within 3 months after a contract expires, and the re-employment was to avoid liability under the Act, the service periods are combined for calculating continuous service.
- A dismissal followed by re-employment by the same employer within 26 weeks does not break continuity of service if the dismissal was to avoid liability under the Act.
- Dismissals related to lock-outs or industrial action are considered unfair if other employees were treated more favourably.
- Unfair dismissal grounds now include discrimination based on race, colour, sexual orientation, age, and membership of the travelling community.
Legal text
Unfair Dismissals (Amendment) Act, 1993 Skip to content Disclaimer Feedback Helpdesk Gaeilge Léim go dtí an t-ábhar Séanadh Aiseolas Deasc chabhrach English Gaeilge English Produced by the Office of the Attorney General Táirgthe ag Oifig an Ard-Aighne Home Legislation Acts of the Oireachtas Statutory Instruments Pre-1922 Legislation Constitution External Resources Bills (Houses of the Oireachtas) Iris Oifigiúil / Official Gazette Revised Acts (LRC) Classified List of Legislation (LRC) Translations (acts.
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- s)or rangeBliain nó blianta nó raon TypeCineál All Legislation Acts Statutory Instruments Advanced SearchCuardach Casta HomeBaile ActsAchtanna 1993 Unfair Dismissals (Amendment) Act, 1993 Unfair Dismissals (Amendment) Act, 1993 Permanent Page URL View by SectionAmharc de réir Ailt View Full ActAmharc ar an Acht Iomlán Bill History Stair Bille Commencement, Amendments, SIs made under the Act Tosach Feidhme, Leasuithe, IRí arna ndéanamh faoin Acht Print Full ActPriontáil an tAcht Iomlán Number 22 of 1993 UNFAIR DISMISSALS (AMENDMENT) ACT, 1993 ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS Section 1. Interpretation. 2. Amendment of section 1 of Principal Act. 3. Amendment of section 2 of Principal Act. 4. Amendment of section 5 of Principal Act. 5. Amendment of section 6 of Principal Act. 6. Amendment of section 7 of Principal Act. 7. Amendment of section 8 of Principal Act. 8. Amendment of section 9 of Principal Act. 9. Amendment of section 14 of Principal Act. 10. Amendment of section 15 of Principal Act. 11. Appeals from, and enforcement of determinations of, Tribunal. 12. Evidence of failure to attend before or give evidence or produce documents to Tribunal. 13. Employment agencies. 14. Dismissal of persons during apprenticeship, training, etc., or during first year of service, for trade union membership or activities. 15. Amendment of First Schedule to Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act, 1973. 16. Repeal. 17. Short title, collective citation, construction, commencement and application. Acts Referred to Courts Act, 1981 1981, No. 11 Employment Agency Act, 1971 1971, No. 27 Income Tax Acts Industrial Relations Acts, 1946 to 1990 Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act, 1973 1973, No. 4 Redundancy Payments Act, 1967 1967, No. 21 Social Welfare Acts, 1981 to 1993 Trade Union Act, 1941 1941, No. 22 Unfair Dismissals Act, 1977 1977, No. 10 Unfair Dismissals Acts, 1977 and 1991 Vocational Education Act, 1930 1930, No. 29 Number 22 of 1993 UNFAIR DISMISSALS (AMENDMENT) ACT, 1993 AN ACT TO AMEND AND EXTEND THE UNFAIR DISMISSALS ACTS, 1977 AND 1991, AND TO PROVIDE FOR RELATED MATTERS. [14th July, 1993] BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS: Interpretation. 1.—
- a)the substitution of the following definitions for the definitions of “trade union” and “the Tribunal”: “‘trade union’ means a trade union which is the holder of a negotiation licence under Part II of the Trade Union Act, 1941 ; ‘the Tribunal’ means the Tribunal established by section 39 of the Redundancy Payments Act, 1967 , and known, by virtue of section 18 of this Act, as the Employment Appeals Tribunal.”, and (
- b)the addition of the following subsections: “
- a)the terms or conditions on which are employed other employees of the same employer who occupy positions similar to that from which the employee was dismissed, or (
- b)if there are no such employees, the terms or conditions on which are employed employees generally of the same employer, are more favourable to the employees concerned than they were at the date of the dismissal, then, the references in sections 5
- j)officers of a health board (other than temporary officers) or a vocational education committee established by the Vocational Education Act, 1930 .”, (
- b)in subsection
- i)the employee concerned is re-employed by the employer concerned within 3 months of the dismissal under a contract of employment such as aforesaid made between the employer and the employee (‘the subsequent contract’) and the nature of the employment is the same as or similar to that of the employment under the prior contract, (
- ii)the employee is dismissed from the employment, (iii) the dismissal consisted only of the expiry of the term of the subsequent contract without the term being renewed under the contract or the cesser of the purpose of the contract, and (
- iv)in the opinion of the rights commissioner, the Tribunal or the Circuit Court, as the case may be, the entry by the employer into the subsequent contract was wholly or partly for or was connected with the purpose of the avoidance of liability under this Act— then— (I) this Act shall, subject to the other provisions thereof, apply to the dismissal, and (II) the term of the prior contract and of any antecedent contracts shall be added to that of the subsequent contract for the purpose of the ascertainment under this Act of the period of service of the employee with the employer and the period so ascertained shall be deemed for those purposes to be one of continuous service. In this proviso ‘antecedent contract’, in relation to a prior contract, means— (A) a contract of employment such as aforesaid the term of which expired not more than 3 months before the commencement of the prior contract, or (B) each of a series of contracts the term of the last of which expired not more than 3 months before the commencement of that of the prior contract and the term of the other or of each of the other contracts in the series expired not more than 3 months before the commencement of that of the other, or the next, contract in the series, being a contract or contracts made between the employer and the employee who were parties to the prior contract and the nature of the employment under which was the same as or similar to that of the employment under the prior contract.”, and (
- c)the insertion of the following subsection after subsection
- a)the employee was not permitted to resume his employment on terms and conditions at least as favourable to the employee as those specified in paragraph (
- a)or (
- b)of subsection
- a)one or more employees of the same employer who took part in the strike or other industrial action were not dismissed for so taking part, or (
- b)one or more of such employees who were dismissed for so taking part were subsequently permitted to resume their employment on terms and conditions at least as favourable to the employees as those specified in the said paragraph (
- a)or (
- b)and the employee was not.
- b)of that subsection included a term that the re-instatement or re-engagement should be deemed to have commenced on such day as is agreed upon by the employer concerned and by or on behalf of the employees or, in the absence of such agreement, on the earliest date from which re-instatement or re-engagement, as the case may be, was offered to a majority of the other employees of the same employer who were the subject of the lock-out concerned or took part in the strike or other industrial action concerned.”. Amendment of section 6 of Principal Act. 5.—Section 6 of the Principal Act is hereby amended by— (
- a)the substitution in subsection
- e)the race, colour or sexual orientation of the employee, (
- ee)the age of the employee, (eee) the employee’s membership of the travelling community,”, and (
- b)the substitution of the following subsection for subsection
- a)to the reasonableness or otherwise of the conduct (whether by act or omission) of the employer in relation to the dismissal, and (
- b)to the extent (if any) of the compliance or failure to comply by the employer, in relation to the employee, with the procedure referred to in section 14
- c)(
- i)if the employee incurred any financial loss attributable to the dismissal, payment to him by the employer of such compensation in respect of the loss (not exceeding in amount 104 weeks remuneration in respect of the employment from which he was dismissed calculated in accordance with regulations under section 17 of this Act) as is just and equitable having regard to all the circumstances, or (
- ii)if the employee incurred no such financial loss, payment to the employee by the employer of such compensation (if any, but not exceeding in amount 4 weeks remuneration in respect of the employment from which he was dismissed calculated as aforesaid) as is just and equitable having regard to all the circumstances, and the references in the foregoing paragraphs to an employer shall be construed, in a case where the ownership of the business of the employer changes after the dismissal, as references to the person who, by virtue of the change, becomes entitled to such ownership.”, (
- b)in subsection
- c)and the substitution of the following paragraphs for paragraph (d): “(
- d)the extent (if any) of the compliance or failure to comply by the employer, in relation to the employee, with the procedure referred to in subsection
- e)the extent (if any) of the compliance or failure to comply by the employer, in relation to the employee, with the said section 14, and (
- f)the extent (if any) to which the conduct of the employee (whether by act or omission) contributed to the dismissal.”, and (
- c)the insertion of the following subsection after subsection
- a)under the Social Welfare Acts, 1981 to 1993, in respect of any period following the dismissal concerned, or (
- b)under the Income Tax Acts arising by reason of the dismissal, shall be disregarded.”. Amendment of section 8 of Principal Act. 7.—Section 8 of the Principal Act is hereby amended by— (
- a)the substitution of the following subsections for subsections
- a)within the period of 6 months beginning on the date of the relevant dismissal, or (
- b)if the rights commissioner or the Tribunal, as the case may be, is satisfied that exceptional circumstances prevented the giving of the notice within the period aforesaid, then, within such period not exceeding 12 months from the date aforesaid as the rights commissioner or the Tribunal, as the case may be, considers reasonable, and a copy of the notice shall be given by the rights commissioner or the Tribunal, as the case may be, to the employer concerned as soon as may be after the receipt of the notice by the rights commissioner or the Tribunal.
- a)the Tribunal has made a determination in relation to the claim, or (
- b)any party concerned notifies the rights commissioner in writing, within 21 days of the giving to the employer pursuant to subsection
- ii)the substitution of the following paragraph for paragraph (b): “(
- b)unless, before the commencement of the hearing of the claim, one of the parties concerned notifies in writing— (
- i)in a case where the claim has been initiated before a rights commissioner, the rights commissioner, or (
- ii)in any other case, the Tribunal, that he objects to the claim being heard by a rights commissioner.”, (
- c)in subsection
- a)A dispute in relation to a dismissal as respects which a recommendation has been made by a rights commissioner under this Act or a hearing by the Tribunal under this Act has commenced shall not be referred, under the Industrial Relations Acts, 1946 to 1990, to a rights commissioner or the Labour Court. (
- b)Where, in relation to a dismissal, a recommendation has been made by a rights commissioner, or a hearing by the Labour Court under the said Acts has commenced, the employee concerned shall not be entitled to redress under this Act in respect of the dismissal.
- a)Where, in proceedings under this section, the Circuit Court finds that an employee is entitled to redress under the Principal Act, it shall order the employer concerned to make to the employee the appropriate redress. (
- b)If an employer fails to comply with an order of the Circuit Court under paragraph (
- a)of this subsection (“the former order”), the Circuit Court shall, on application to it in that behalf by— (
- i)the employee concerned, or (
- ii)if he considers it appropriate to make the application having regard to all the circumstances, the Minister, make— (I) such order for the enforcement of the former order as it considers appropriate having regard to all the circumstances, or (II) if the former order directed the re-instatement or re-engagement of the employee concerned and that Court considers it appropriate to do so having regard to all the circumstances, in lieu of making an order under subparagraph (I), make an order directing the employer, in lieu of re-instating or re-engaging the employee, to pay compensation to him under section 7
- a)If an employer fails to carry out in accordance with its terms a determination of the Tribunal in relation to a claim for redress under the Principal Act within 6 weeks from the date on which the determination is communicated to the parties, the Circuit Court shall, on application to it in that behalf by— (
- i)the employee concerned, or (
- ii)if he considers it appropriate to make the application having regard to all the circumstances, the Minister, without hearing the employer or any evidence (other than in relation to the matters aforesaid) make— (I) an order directing the employer to carry out the determination in accordance with its terms, or (II) if the determination directed the re-instatement or re-engagement of the employee concerned and that Court considers it appropriate to do so having regard to all the circumstances, in lieu of making an order under subparagraph (I), make an order directing the employer, in lieu of re-instating or re-engaging the employee, to pay compensation to him under section 7
- c)of the Principal Act and giving such directions for the enforcement of the latter order as it considers appropriate having regard to all the circumstances. (
- b)In paragraph (
- a)of this subsection the reference to a determination of the Tribunal is a reference to such a determination in relation to which, at the expiration of the time for bringing an appeal against it, no such appeal has been brought, or if such an appeal has been brought it has been abandoned and the reference to the date on which the determination is communicated to the parties shall, in a case where such an appeal is abandoned, be construed as a reference to the date of such abandonment.
- a)in case the order relates to the payment of compensation, direct the employer concerned to pay to the employee concerned interest on the compensation at the rate referred to in section 22 of the Courts Act, 1981 , in respect of the whole or any part of the period beginning 6 weeks after the date on which the determination of the Tribunal is communicated to the parties and ending on the date of the order, and (
- b)in case the order relates to re-instatement or re-engagement, direct the employer to pay to the employee compensation of such amount as it considers reasonable in respect of the loss of wages suffered by the employee by reason of the failure of the employer to comply with the determination aforesaid.
- b)a sitting of the Tribunal was held on that day and at that time and place, and (
- c)the person did not attend before the Tribunal in pursuance of the notice or, as the case may be, having so attended, refused to give evidence or refused or failed to produce the document, shall, in a prosecution of the person under paragraph (
- e)of the said section 39
- a)the individual shall be deemed to be an employee employed by the third person under a contract of employment, (
- b)if the contract was made before such commencement, it shall be deemed to have been made upon such commencement, and (
- c)any redress under the Principal Act for unfair dismissal of the individual under the contract shall be awarded against the third person. Dismissal of persons during apprenticeship, training, etc., or during first year of service, for trade union membership or activities. 14.—Sections 2
- a)of the said section 6. Amendment of First Schedule to Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act, 1973. 15.—The First Schedule to the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act, 1973 , is hereby amended by the substitution of the following paragraph for paragraph 7 (inserted by the Principal Act): “7. Where the whole or part of a trade, business or undertaking was or is transferred to another person either before or after the passing of this Act, the service of an employee before the transfer in the trade, business or undertaking, or the part thereof so transferred— (
- a)shall be reckoned as part of the service of the employee with the transferee, and (
- b)the transfer shall not operate to break the continuity of the service of the employee, unless the employee received and retained redundancy payment from the transferor at the time of and by reason of the transfer.”. Repeal. 16.—Section 10 of the Principal Act is hereby repealed. Short title, collective citation, construction, commencement and application. 17.—