COVID-19 Update - 17 April 2020
COVID-19 Update - 17 April 2020
The following is the position with respect to Labour Court operations to 5th May 2020:
The Court is committed to observing fully the advice and guidance of Government and the Public Health Authorities. The health of staff, members and users of the Labour Court is the priority throughout this extraordinary period and is the measure against which Court operations have been and will be planned.
The operational meaning of current Public Health guidance having regard to the work of the Labour Court is that it will not possible in the period to 5th May 2020 at least to convene a hearing of the Court in a physical courtroom. The Court has therefore been engaged in exploring the potential for the convening of hearings utilising technology which would allow attendees at the hearing to be remote from each other. The Court has not yet finalised appropriate ICT technology but is making progress in that regard.
The Court is currently testing options for ‘remote’ hearings and when it has identified an appropriate technology it will begin to schedule hearings. The hearings which have previously been cancelled due to the current crisis will, at the appropriate time, be the priority in terms of the identification of the first tranche of hearings to be convened remotely.
Where a case has been selected for remote hearing the Court will contact the parties involved and brief them on the technology required at the user end and invite the parties to confirm that they are equipped to remotely attend a Court hearing. Where parties confirm their capacity to attend such a hearing the Court will schedule a hearing in the normal way.
In the meantime, parties are assured that the Court continues to receive appeals. Use of the online referral facility at appeals@labourcourt.ie is encouraged but ground mailed appeals are also being received.
Appeals and referrals submitted by e-mail at appeals@labourcourt.ie can be made up to 12 midnight on the 42nd day following the making of a decision by an Adjudication Officer and the date of receipt will be the date and time automatically recorded on the e-mail system.
