Ireland: Binding provisions of new Industrial Relations Act in place

New legislation, which came into force on 1 June 2001, gives Ireland's main dispute resolution body, the Labour Court, the power to issue binding recommendations on pay and conditions where trade union recognition does not exist. However, experts expect that this compulsory provision will be used in only a small minority of cases, with most disputes over union representation likely to proceed in accordance with voluntary procedures that were introduced in 2000.