Four women for chairpersons of industrial tribunal

Four women will join the Industrial Tribunal as from the start of 2012, with the total number of arbitrators increased to 14.

The tribunal deals with cases of unfair dismissals and employment discrimination, having dealt with 96 cases last year. 63 cases dealt with unfair dismissals. Overall 284 sittings were held in the year.

The Department of Industrial and Employment Relations this year conducted over 727 inspections on workplaces, covering a total of 20,678 employees. The inspections uncovered 214 irregularities from interviews held with 1,695 employees.

The DIER also registered 686 investigations, processing 327 claims for a total of €513,000. Some 437 cases were solved before being finalized in court procedures, while 120 cases were referred to the police for criminal prosecution.

The DIER also held 73 conciliatory meetings for unions and employers, reaching agreements in 63 of the meetings.