The Government has approved the publication of legislation on the difficult issue of joint labour committees. The Bill, brought to yesterday’s Cabinet meeting by Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton, is understood to have been “screened” in advance by the Labour side of the Coalition.
The JLCs have been part of controversial wage-setting arrangements in a number of industries, with employers objecting in particular to the “Sunday premium”. Last July, the High Court ruled that the legislation delegating powers over pay and conditions to JLCs was unconstitutional. The text of the legislation is expected to be released tomorrow.
