The system for solving industrial disputes must be overhauled to bring it into line with EU practices, the general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) warned today.
David Begg said the country's industrial relations mechanism was suffering from a mix of legality and a lack of a statutory basis.
He warned the Ireland was now the only state among the original 15 EU members without a statutory basis for collective bargaining in work disputes.
"This causes particular difficulties under the Open Method of Co-ordination (OMC) for European social policy because it means that, unlike the other countries, agreements made with employers through the social dialogue process have no teeth," said Mr Begg.
During his address to a Labour Relations Agency conference in Northern Ireland, Mr Begg called for a review of the industrial relations machinery to ensure Ireland follows EU practices.
Mr Begg called for disputes between employer and employee to be brought to the attention of the Rights Commissioners as a mandatory first step in employment rights cases.
The head of Ictu claimed employment rights bodies such as the Employment Appeals Tribunal have been over-legalised.
"What were meant to be informal fora for resolving disputes have turned into very cold places for workers," he said. "By virtue of their economic power employers can engage high-priced lawyers which workers cannot afford. As such they were at a disadvantage."
Mr Begg said there were huge advantages to settling disputes in a low-key way, as was emphasised with the establishment of the Personal Injuries Insurance Board.
PA