Protection of Employment Act 1977
Number 7 of 1977
PROTECTION OF EMPLOYMENT ACT 1977
REVISED
Updated to 14 October 2020
This Revised Act is an administrative consolidation of the Protection of Employment Act 1977. It is prepared by the Law Reform Commission in accordance with its function under the Law Reform Commission Act 1975 (3/1975) to keep the law under review and to undertake revision and consolidation of statute law.
All Acts up to and including the Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Act 2020 (16/2020), enacted 14 October 2020, and all statutory instruments up to and including the Employment Affairs and Employment Law (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 438 of 2020), made 13 October 2020, were considered in the preparation of this Revised Act.
Disclaimer: While every care has been taken in the preparation of this Revised Act, the Law Reform Commission can assume no responsibility for and give no guarantees, undertakings or warranties concerning the accuracy, completeness or up to date nature of the information provided and does not accept any liability whatsoever arising from any errors or omissions. Please notify any errors, omissions and comments by email to
revisedacts@lawreform.ie.
Number 7 of 2010
PROTECTION OF EMPLOYMENT ACT 1977
REVISED
Updated to 14 October 2020
Introduction
This Revised Act presents the text of the Act as it has been amended since enactment, and preserves the format in which it was passed.
Related legislation
Protection of Employment Acts 1977 to 2014: In so far as it relates to them, this Act is one of a group of Acts included in this collective citation, to be construed together as one (Local Government Reform Act 2014 (1/2014), s. 1(17)). The Acts in this group are:
• Protection of Employment Act 1977 (7/1977)
• Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act 2001 (45/2001), in so far as it applies to the Protection of Employment Act 1977
• Protection of Employment (Exceptional Collective Redundancies and Related Matters) Act 2007 (27/2007), in so far as it applies to the Protection of Employment Act 1977
• Local Government Reform Act 2014 (1/2014), s. 1(17) and the amendments to the Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act 2001 and the Protection of Employment Act 1977 provided for in s. 5(6) and sch. 2 part 6 (Note: the reference to s. 5(6) appears to be intended to refer to s. 5(8)).
Annotations
This Revised Act is annotated and includes textual and non-textual amendments, statutory instruments made pursuant to the Act and previous affecting provisions.
An explanation of how to read annotations is available at
www.lawreform.ie/annotations.
Material not updated in this revision
Where other legislation is amended by this Act, those amendments may have been superseded by other amendments in other legislation, or the amended legislation may have been repealed or revoked. This information is not represented in this revision but will be reflected in a revision of the amended legislation if one is available.
Where legislation or a fragment of legislation is referred to in annotations, changes to this legislation or fragment may not be reflected in this revision but will be reflected in a revision of the legislation referred to if one is available.
A list of legislative changes to any Act, and to statutory instruments from 1972, may be found linked from the page of the Act or statutory instrument at
www.irishstatutebook.ie.
Acts which affect or previously affected this revision
• Workplace Relations Act 2015 (16/2015)
• Local Government Reform Act 2014 (1/2014)
• Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Act 2012 (13/2012)
• Protection of Employment (Exceptional Collective Redundancies and Related Matters) Act 2007 (27/2007)
• Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Act 2006 (9/2006)
• Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act 2001 (45/2001)
All Acts up to and including Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Act 2020 (16/2020), enacted 14 October 2020, were considered in the preparation of this revision.
Statutory instruments which affect or previously affected this revision
• Employment Affairs and Employment Law (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 438 of 2020)
• European Communities (Seafarers) Regulations 2018 (S.I. No. 15 of 2018)
• Labour Affairs and Labour Law (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2017 (S.I. No. 361 of 2017)
• Workplace Relations Act 2015 (Fixed Payment Notice) Regulations 2015 (S.I. No. 419 of 2015)
• Enterprise, Trade and Innovation (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2011 (S.I. No. 245 of 2011)
• Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2010 (S.I. No. 185 of 2010)
• European Communities (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2000 (S.I. No. 488 of 2000)
• Enterprise and Employment (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 1997 (S.I. No. 305 of 1997)
• Labour Services Act 1987 — Apprenticeship Rules 1997 (S.I. No. 168 of 1997)
• Protection of Employment Order 1996 (S.I. No. 370 of 1996)
• Labour Services Act 1987 — Apprenticeship Rules 1995 (S.I. No. 198 of 1995)
• Labour Services Act 1987 — Apprenticeship Rules 1994 (S.I. No. 228 of 1994)
• Labour Services Act 1987 — Apprenticeship Rules 1993 (S.I. No. 236 of 1993)
• Industry and Commerce (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 1993 (S.I. No. 19 of 1993)
• Labour (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 1993 (S.I. No. 18 of 1993)
• Protection of Employment Act, 1977 (Commencement) Order 1977 (S.I. No. 139 of 1977)
All statutory instruments up to and including Employment Affairs and Employment Law (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 438 of 2020), made 13 October 2020, were considered in the preparation of this revision.
Number 7 of 1977
PROTECTION OF EMPLOYMENT ACT 1977
REVISED
Updated to 14 October 2020
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
Preliminary and General
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Section |
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Laying of orders and regulations before Houses of Oireachtas. |
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Consultation and Notification
Commencement of Collective Redundancies
Miscellaneous
Number 7 of 1977
PROTECTION OF EMPLOYMENT ACT 1977
REVISED
Updated to 14 October 2020
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DIRECTIVE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES DONE AT BRUSSELS ON THE 17th DAY OF FEBRUARY, 1975, REGARDING THE APPROXIMATION OF THE LAWS OF MEMBER STATES OF THOSE COMMUNITIES RELATING TO COLLECTIVE REDUNDANCIES, AND TO PROVIDE FOR OTHER MATTERS RELATING TO THAT MATTER. [5th April, 1977]
BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:
Annotations
Modifications (not altering text):
C1
Functions under collectively cited Protection of Employment Acts transferred and references construed (14.10.2020) by Employment Affairs and Employment Law (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 438 of 2020), arts. 2, 3(1)(a), (2) and sch., in effect as per art. 1(2), subject to transitional provisions in arts. 4-8.
2. (1) The administration and business in connection with the exercise, performance or execution of any functions transferred by Article 3 are transferred to the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation.
(2) References to the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection contained in any Act or any instrument made under such Act and relating to any administration and business transferred by paragraph (1) shall, on and after the commencement of this Order, be construed as references to the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation.
3. (1) The functions vested in the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection -
(a) by or under the Acts specified in Part 1 of the Schedule and the provisions of the Acts specified in Part 2 of the Schedule, and
...
are transferred to the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation.
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(2) References to the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection contained in any Act or instrument made under such Act and relating to any functions transferred by this Article shall, on and after the commencement of this Order, be construed as references to the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation.
SCHEDULE 1
PART 1
ACTS OF THE OIREACHTAS
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Protection of Employment Acts 1977 to 2014
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Editorial Notes:
E1
Collectively cited Protection of Employment Acts 1977 to 2014 included in definitions of “employment enactment” and “relevant enactment” (1.08.2015) by Workplace Relations Act 2015 (16/2015), s. 2 and sch. 1 part 1 item 19, S.I. No. 338 of 2015, with the following effects:
• Authorised officers or inspectors under employment enactments deemed to be appointed under Workplace Relations Act 2015 (16/2015), s. 26(2) and subject to termination under s. 26(4).
• Powers of inspectors for purposes of relevant enactments defined in Workplace Relations Act 2015 (16/2015), s. 27.
• Workplace Relations Commission, an inspector or an adjudication officer authorised to disclose employer’s registered number or employee’s PPSN to enable Labour Court to perform functions under relevant enactments by Workplace Relations Act 2015 (16/2015) s. 31(5).
• Power of Workplace Relations Commission and official body to disclose information to each other concerning the commission of offence under relevant enactment provided by Workplace Relations Act 2015 (16/2015), s. 32.
• Power of Workplace Relations Commission and contracting authority to disclose information to each other concerning the commission of offence under employment enactment/ relevant enactment provided by Workplace Relations Act 2015 (16/2015), s. 33.
• Powers of Minister to prosecute under relevant enactments transferred to Workplace Relations Commission and references construed by Workplace Relations Act 2015 (16/2015), s. 37.
• Functions of EAT to hear claims under employment enactments transferred to Workplace Relations Commission and references to EAT construed by Workplace Relations Act 2015 (16/2015) s. 66(1), (2).
E2
Previous affecting provision: functions under collectively cited Protection of Employment Acts 1977 to 2014 transferred and “Minister for” and “Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation” construed (1.09.2017) by Labour Affairs and Labour Law (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2017 (S.I. No. 361 of 2017), arts. 2, 3, 6-8, in effect as per art. 1(2), subject to transitional provisions in arts. 4, 5; superseded as per C-note above.