Past ELAI Events

The ELAI AGM took place on Tuesday 11 May 2021.

It was a virtual event with the keynote address given by an Tánaiste Leo Varadkar on the government's Making Remote Work Strategy. The address was followed with an interesting panel discussion Chaired by Anne Lyne, Partner Hayes solicitors together with Deputy Chair Linda Hynes, Lewis Silkin, Secretary Julie Galbraith, Partner Eversheds Sutherland and Ciaran Ahern, Senior Associate A& L Goodbody.

The discussion focused on upcoming employment legislative developments including the right to request flexible working, collective bargaining, the living wage, statutory sick pay and auto enrolment for pensions.

Follow WRC Twitter account to stay up to date.

Announcements from the WRC

Thank you all for the high numbers attending last night's seminar -  it was an excellent session.

The seminar saw our end of year case law round up. This year Des Ryan BL updated on Irish law developments and Catherine Bernard from Cambridge University updated on ECJ case law.

Please find attached a paper from Des Ryan BL together with the slides from both Des and Catherine Barnard.
 
I announced last night that our next seminar will take place early next year and will be a session on Brexit in collaboration with the UK ELA and the Employment Law Group in Northern Ireland. Further details of this session will follow.
 
I will be in contact again in the New Year, but just to wish you all a safe and peaceful next couple of weeks.
 

Best wishes

Anne Lyne
Chair 
ELAI 

Our first live webinar will take place on Thursday 24 September 2020 from 5.30p.m. to 6.30p.m. The session will be kindly hosted by Mason Hayes and Curran.
 
As the Covid-19 restrictions continue and with the introduction of the Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 it looks like virtual hearings are here to stay.  With this in mind we hope to provide a lively and interactive session on this theme.
 
Our Chair, Anne Lyne, will firstly give an up to date status summary of the current Covid-19 practices of the WRC including inspections, mediations, written procedures, face-to-face hearings and remote hearings.
 
Julie Galbraith, ELAI Secretary and Partner with Eversheds Sutherland will then update us on the Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 and the WRC guidance for remote hearings, how the hearings and inspections operate in practice and her experiences.  Julie and her colleagues have taken part in a number of remote hearings with the WRC and the Labour Court since their introduction.
 
We also welcome Hazel Oliver as guest speaker. Hazel is a Managing Practice Development Lawyer and Consultant Trainer with Lewis Silkin in the UK. Hazel also sits part-time as an Employment Judge at the Bristol Tribunal and has a second role hearing cases in the UK Information Rights Tribunal, dealing with appeals against ICO decisions on freedom of information requests and data protection enforcement. She has been an Employment Judge for 10 years and has recently presided over several virtual hearings. Hazel will give us her insights on:

• What a virtual hearing looks like to the judge
• How to present yourself as an advocate
• How to prepare your clients
• Self-represented and vulnerable parties
• Managing communication in a virtual hearing
• Body language and persuasion

 
We think it is going to be an interesting and timely event. The session will allow members to ask questions of both the speakers and engage with their practical experiences. Please register your attendance with Vanessa Bergin This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Please click following link to view notice issued by Workplace Relations Commission on 18th September 2020 further to Government announcement: 

http://www.workplacerelations.ie/en/news-media/workplace_relations_notices/workplace-relations-commission-wrc-covid-19-update-18-september-2020.html

The WRC has now published on their website a notice in relation to the conducting of mediation and adjudication services during the COVID19 period.

Please find the link to the proposal: WRC Covid update May 2020.

The committee will be considering the notice to determine whether any further Submissions should be made to the WRC.

In this regard we would welcome any feedback from members.

Dear Member,
 

Further to my recent email, I write to confirm that the AGM will take place on Tuesday 10^th March 2020. The event will be held in the Merrion Hotel and will commence from 6pm with a 6-30pm start.
 
We are delighted to have secured Jennifer Millins, Partner in Employment Law at Mishcon de Reya LLP, as our guest speaker.
 
Jennifer specialises in discrimination and whistleblowing claims, High Court injunctions, equal pay disputes, gender pay gap reporting and partnership disputes. Jennifer acted for senior journalist, Carrie Gracie, in a high profile and leading equal pay and discrimination case against the BBC which demonstrated significant pay inequality between men and women in the State broadcaster.  This case was ground breaking and led the way for other journalists to challenge inequitable (and unlawful) gender pay practices in the BBC. Jennifer will discuss the case and how a grass roots campaign of male and female journalists, who choose to voluntarily disclose their pay to each other, paved the way for this case.  She will provide her insight into the increasing requirement for more pay transparency and the new trends relating to such cases.
 
Please register for the event by return email to Vanessa at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 
We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible for what should be an interesting and engaging talk.
 

Please find attached the programme of the forthcoming 3^rd African Labour Law Society Conference and  2^nd ISLSSL African Regional Congress.

African Labour Law Conference & African Regional Congress

Dear Members 

There is a conference scheduled for next Tuesday 17 September in Dublin Castle that will address the theme of Future of Work through the lens of the Declaration of Philadelphia.  Keynote speakers include the Director General of the International Labour Organisation, Guy Ryder, Professor Virginia Doellgast, Chair of International & Comparative Labor, Cornell University and Mark Connaughton, Senior Counsel.  
 
Members of ELAI are also invited to attend this event and attendance at the conference is free of charge. Please see attached agenda. 

To register for the Conference, please complete the attached form and please email it to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than Friday 13^thSeptember 2019.

Agenda

Invitation

Form