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Employment Regulation Orders

Employment Regulation Orders

Joint Labour Committees

Joint Labour Committees (JLCs) are bodies established under the Industrial Relations Acts to provide machinery for fixing statutory minimum rates of pay and conditions of employment for particular employees in particular sectors. They may be set up by the Labour Court on the application of (i) the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment or (ii) a trade union, or (iii) any organisation claiming to be representative of the workers or the employers involved. A JLC is made up of equal numbers of employer and worker representatives appointed by the Labour Court and a chairman and substitute chairman appointed by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. JLCs operate in areas where collective bargaining is not well established and wages tend to be low.

Employment Regulation Orders

An Employment Regulation Order (ERO) is an instrument drawn up by a Joint Labour Committee (JLC), adopted by the Labour Court, and given statutory effect by the Minster for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The ERO fixes minimum rates of pay and conditions of employment for workers in specified business sectors: employers in those sectors are then obliged to pay wage rates and provide conditions of employment not less favourable than those prescribed.

The Employment Regulation Orders listed below are currently in force -

Employment Regulation (Amendment) Order (Contract Cleaning Joint Labour Committee) 2020 - S.I. No. 608 of 2020

Employment Regulation (Amendment) Order (Early Years’ Service Joint Labour Committee) Order No. 1 S.I. No. 296 of 2024

Employment Regulation (Amendment) Order (Early Years’ Service Joint Labour Committee) Order No. 2 S.I. No. 297 of 2024

Employment Regulation Order (Security Industry Joint Labour Committee) 2024 S.I. No 319 of 2024

Employment Regulation (Amendment) Order (Contract Cleaning Joint Labour Committee) 2024 - S.I. No. 255 of 2024

Any breaches of an Employment Regulation Order may be referred to the Workplace Relations Commission for appropriate action.

Labour Court (Sectoral Employment Orders) Rules 2016.pdf (size 222.8 KB)

Review of Joint Labour Committees Report