🔥 This week's top 5 hot topics:

1. 💸 Holding back pay rises? It's costing businesses their best people.
2. 🌈 Dublin companies are doubling down on diversity and it's not just talk.
3. 🤖 Amazon’s CEO says AI will take over some jobs.
4. ⚖️ Labour Court sets aside 3 days to hear Elon Musk’s X appeal next month.
5. 👩‍⚖️ New EU gender balance rules are coming – Irish firms must comply by 2026.

And in other news....Help shape this year’s Annual Review of Employment Law - take our quick survey and tell us what matters most to you! 📝

**If you have any difficulties accessing the article or resetting your password (if you haven’t already done so in 2025) please email hub@legal-island.com and we’ll be in touch with you as soon as possible.**

1. Case Law Reviews
2. AI and Employment Law
3. US Tariffs and Economic Outlook
4. Recruitment and Retention
5. DEI
6. Bullying
7. Legislation Update
8. Just In Case You Missed It....
9. HR Developments
10. Employment News in the Media
11. Friends of Legal Island
12. Free Webinars This Month 

Thomas Farrell v Salesforce ADJ-00052842

Summary: WRC held in favour of employee where employer failed to follow statutory process regarding a remote working request.  

Practical Guidance for Employers: 

Employers should:

• Always respond to remote working requests within the four-week period required by the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023. Delays, even if unintentional, may amount to non-compliance.
   
• Apply remote and hybrid working policies consistently across teams. Unequal treatment, especially where similar roles are granted differing arrangements, can lead to risks.  
   
• When refusing a remote work request, provide specific, accurate, and role-based reasons. Ensure these align with job duties and any prior agreements or internal practices to avoid contradictory justifications that may undermine your position.

Read the full Review here:
Thomas Farrell v Salesforce [2025]
 

Helen Shine v Dromcollogher Day Care Centre

Summary: WRC found that dismissal of employee lacked fairness and part-time rights were overlooked.

Practical Guidance for Employers: 

Employers should:

• Always Follow Fair Procedures: Even in cases of apparent resignation or absence, employers must follow disciplinary procedures and ensure fair engagement before assuming dismissal. Document all steps.  
   
• Ensure Employment Rights for Part-Time Workers: Part-time employees must receive pro-rata entitlements to annual leave and public holidays. Do not rely solely on requests but leave entitlements accrue automatically.  
   
• Communicate Clearly and Record Efforts: If wage or contract disputes arise, maintain clear records of communication attempts and seek to resolve issues directly with the employee. Use formal channels where possible.
   
• Mitigation Doesn’t Excuse Procedural Failures: An employee’s failure to seek alternative work may reduce compensation but does not protect employers from liability for unfair dismissal where due process is not followed. 
   

Read the full Review here:
Helen Shine v Dromcollogher Day Care Centre [2025]
 

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These case reviews were written by Patrick Barrett BL.

Patrick's legal education is robust, beginning with a BCL Law Degree from University College Cork (2012-2016), followed by an LL.M in Business Law from the same institution (2016-2017), and culminating in a Barrister-at-Law Degree from The Honorable Society of King’s Inns in Dublin (2019-2021). He has extensive experience on the South-West Circuit, handling Civil, Family, and Criminal Law cases, as well as advising the Citizen Advice Service.  He has worked as an employment consultant, dealing with workplace investigations and bankruptcy procedures.

Remember: Our Irish case law reviews are now held in our case law section on our fully-searchable employment law hub website:
https://legal-island.ie/employment-law-hub/case-law

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Amazon boss says AI will replace jobs at tech giant

Amazon boss Andy Jassy has told staff to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) and warned the technology will lead to a smaller corporate workforce in the next few years. He shared the prediction in a memo to staff on Tuesday, which urged employees to "be curious about AI". The BBC has more.

AI Development Running Just to Stand Still? Here’s Some Advice: Run Faster…

This week Barry Phillips argues that the pace of change in most organisations now just isn’t anything like fast enough.
 

AI Development Running Just to Stand Still? Here’s Some Advice: Run Faster…

Data Protection Commission publishes 2024 Annual Report

The Data Protection Commission has today launched its Annual Report for 2024 and released the results of its first Public Attitudes Survey. Catch up here.

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Tánaiste to warn of impact of further US tariffs

Tánaiste Simon Harris warned that the threat of further tariffs represents "the most serious challenge to transatlantic economic relations in generations". In a speech at the National Economic Dialogue at Dublin Castle, Mr Harris insisted the EU must remain steadfast in pursuing "substantive, calm, measured, and comprehensive dialogue" with the US in order to avoid the imposition of further tariffs. More from RTE.

Passenger fares to the US plummet as companies 'avoid US business trips'

Aer Lingus is currently offering fares as low as €209 economy class to popular US destinations, while business-class prices have been slashed to as low as €800. The massive price drop comes as many travellers opt to avoid the US amid ongoing political turmoil there. Traditional business-class travellers are particularly affected as some corporations advise employees to "avoid US business trips" as much as possible, according to senior corporate sources. Business Plus has more. 
 

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Businesses losing staff by putting off pay rises

Nearly half of Irish business leaders admit they have seen an increase in employee turnover after delaying pay rises for professionals and white-collar workers. Recruitment firm Robert Walters noted that many employers are having to make tough decisions in order to control overheads by deferring or scaling back salary reviews. However, while this approach may offer short-term savings, 38% of respondents said delaying pay rises has led to staff looking for jobs elsewhere, reports Business Plus. 

Increase in US interest in Irish-based jobs – Indeed

Global interest in Irish-based jobs is continuing to increase with searches from overseas amounting to 12.3% of all searches for roles in Ireland, according to new research from hiring platform Indeed. The figures show that job seekers in the US accounted for the biggest increase in overseas interest in Irish jobs with a share of 9.5% of total searches representing a 2.8 percentage point increase compared to 2024. According to the research, from January to April of this year jobseekers in the UK accounted for the biggest share of overseas searches at 22.3% followed by those in the US, India, Spain and France. 
More from RTÉ here. 

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Dublin businesses remain committed to diversity

Dublin businesses are maintaining their commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) despite facing economic headwinds, according to a new survey released by Dublin Chamber. The Dublin Chamber Business Outlook Survey, which gathered responses from 200 firms across the Dublin region, found that 60% of companies have either maintained or increased their EDI budgets over the past year, with 58% of respondents identifying EDI as a leading priority. 
Think Business has more on this.

What role can Pride celebrations play in a DEI strategy?

GI Group is one of the UK’s leading HR and recruitment specialists, employing close to 234 people across the UK and Ireland. Emma-Louise Taylor, group head of learning and development and equity, diversity and inclusion, explains how the organisation champions inclusion through year in this piece for Employee Benefits.

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Children's Health Ireland publishes summary of 2021 report, identifies 'bullying issues'

Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) has published a summary of the 2021 report into the organisation’s culture, the use of NTPF funded clinics, and the standard of care it offered to children. A summary of the 2021 report published says that “serious issues of concern” were identified within CHI, including “bullying issues” and a poor working environment as a result. It further said HR processes ensued as a result of the initial report. More here from the Journal.

The summary of findings can be found here.
 
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The Industrial Relations (Boycott of Joint Labour Committees) Bill 2025 

The Industrial Relations (Boycott of Joint Labour Committees) Bill 2025 represents a potentially significant development in Irish industrial relations law. While it is a Private Members' Bill, the Government's decision not to oppose it increases the likelihood that it will progress through the Oireachtas.

Key Objectives of the Bill

• To address the problem of deliberate non-engagement by either employer or worker organisations, which has in some cases blocked the establishment or functioning of Joint Labour Committees (JLCs).
• To empower the Labour Court to make appointments to JLCs even in the absence of nominations from one side, thereby preventing a boycott from stalling the process.
• To strengthen the ability of the State to maintain functioning JLCs in relevant sectors.

Current Context

JLCs are established under the Industrial Relations Acts to regulate pay and conditions in certain sectors where collective bargaining is weak or absent. They consist of equal numbers of employer and worker representatives, with an independent chairperson.

Historically, JLCs have been vulnerable to disruption when either side refuses to nominate members—an issue this Bill seeks to overcome.

Read the full Bill here.

New Bill to Strengthen Protections for Employees of Insolvent Firms

The Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) (Amendment) Bill 2025 aims to provide greater protection to employees where their employer becomes insolvent. The Bill will allow greater access to a Social Insurance Fund to protect employee pay-related entitlements and claims for historic entitlements over the previous 40 years. The devil is in the detail, however, with very specific caps and limitations. The Commercial Disputes team at Mason, Hayes & Curran explores the implications of the Bill for employers and employees if enacted. Read their article in full here. 

Irish companies required to comply with new EU gender balance regulations by 2026

Companies must take notice: the European Union (Gender Balance on Boards of Certain Companies) Regulations 2025 have now been implemented into Irish law. These regulations impose strict new gender balance requirements for boards of listed companies, in line with Directive (EU) 2022/238. This means that affected employers will be legally required to review and, if necessary, change their board composition, recruitment practices and procedures in order to comply. Mary Gavin, Managing Associate at Ogier has more on this. 

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What are the legal considerations for the use of fixed term and specific purpose contracts in our business? How do I handle it?

Many employers utilise fixed-term and specific purpose contracts of employment. The RDJ LLP Employment Team regularly advises clients on the employment law and HR considerations associated with such contracts. Recently, they have identified an increase in queries on the use of such contracts and thought it would be useful for them to prepare a Q&A for employers, using the questions they are asked most frequently by their clients, to help employers to navigate this tricky area of employment law. Read their Q&A here. 

The EU Pay Transparency Directive: 2025 Update

Caroline Reidy from the HR Suite outlines the key fundamentals of the Directive and offers practical advice for HR professionals navigating the upcoming changes. Find out more.

Digital Misconduct in the Age of Slack and Surveillance: employer liability in a digitally fragmented workforce

Sarah Kavanagh from DWF (Ireland) LLP looks at the issue of workplace cyberbullying and digital misconduct.  Read the guidance here. 

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Why Irish employers are calling a halt on pay rises

Budget constraints and poor business performance are forcing 61% of Irish employers to delay or reduce pay rises, according to new research from global talent solutions firm Robert Walters. Nearly half are experiencing increased staff turnover as a direct result. Think Business has more.

The lonely workforce: how disconnection impacts success

Today’s workplace is a study in contradictions: We’re more linked than ever technologically, yet professional isolation continues to deepen. You can read more on this from HRD Connect.

How does Ireland align with Europe on workplace trends?

The Great Place to Work survey highlights the attitudes of the Irish workforce in areas such as leadership, flexibility and psychological safety. Great Place to Work has released the Employee Experience in Ireland 2025: A Workforce Benchmark Study, which offers fresh insight into how employees based in Ireland view leadership, flexibility, wellbeing and workplace culture, in comparison to the rest of the European workforce. More from Silicon Republic. 

Beyond push-back: 5 modern truths about change resistance

Change at work feels harder than ever. But there’s more going on than people simply digging in their heels. Simon Phillips unpacks what’s really behind the push-back in this article for the Training Journal, from stress and burnout to wanting a proper say in decisions, and shares smart ways to help make change feel better for everyone.

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A Cork woman who faces more than 300 charges in relation to the alleged theft of more than €70,000 from a well-known Kinsale restaurant owned by TV chef Martin Shanahan has been remanded on bail at Kinsale District Court sitting in Bandon. Read in full in the Irish Examiner.

The Labour Court has set aside three days at the end of next month to hear Elon Musk's X appeal against a ruling that it must pay out an Irish record unfair dismissal award of €550,131 to a former executive. In the ruling last August, the WRC found that Twitter International UC - since renamed X Internet Unlimited Company - unfairly dismissed the company's former Director Source to Pay Gary Rooney in December 2022 after he failed to respond to Elon Musk's "Fork in the Road" email. RTE has the full story. 

A leading bookmaker firm has been sharply criticised by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) over its approach to an unfair dismissal case and its “deplorable” treatment of a sacked worker. The WRC said it was rare to encounter a case where there was “such a complete repertoire of gross breaches of fair procedure and of a worker’s rights”. WRC adjudication officer, Pat Brady, said the hearing of the case was “somewhat extraordinary”, largely due to the attitude of the company which he said demonstrated the “most casual indifference” to the case. Breaking News has more. 

ESB International, the overseas subsidiary of the semi-state power company, is moving out of its office at Dublin Airport and back into the city centre, it is understood. There is speculation that one of the reasons for the move back to a city centre location was that ESB International had found it difficult to encourage staff members who have been working at home since the end of the Covid pandemic to return to the office – and that it was felt this would be easier to achieve in a city-centre location. Irish Independent has the full story.

A marketing executive at Coca Cola who said she was "bullied" into taking a demotion from a management job to "nearly a graduate position" when she got back to work after having a baby has won €68,000 for maternity discrimination. Lisa Deveney told the WRC she thought she was going to return to her old job as premium spirits marketing manager at the end of maternity leave in January 2024. She said she suffered an "acute stress reaction" after her colleagues were told the employee brought in to cover her absence would be staying in her former role. More from RTÉ here.

The UK's Poundland chain plans to close 68 stores and two warehouses as part of a turnaround strategy, with reports estimating that between 1,000 and 2,000 jobs are at risk. The budget chain, which was sold by Pepco to US retail investment firm Gordon Brothers for a nominal sum last week, has nearly 800 shops and employs approximately 16,000 people in the UK and Ireland. Poundland said its Irish stores, which trade under the Dealz brand, will not be affected in the closures, which require UK court permission. You can read more from Personnel Today.

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Call for organisations and groups to be Sustainable Development Goal Champions for 2025-2026

The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment is now seeking Expressions of Interest for participants in the 2025-26 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Champions Programme. As part of the 2025-2026 programme, a number of organisations and groups from across the country will be appointed 'SDG Champions' to help raise awareness of the importance of the SDGs. As Champions, they will show through their own actions that everyone in society can make a contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  You can find further information on the SDG Champions Programme, and how to apply here.

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MCS Lunch and Learn: What Top Recruiters Know that You Don’t (Yet)       

🔔 Please note that the webinar has been rescheduled to 23rd July.

🗓  Thursday, 23 July 2025
🕚 12:00 – 12:45 (45 mins)
💻 Online

Register HERE.
                                                            
Join Julie from Legal Island for an MCS Lunch and Learn webinar with leading recruitment experts Ryan Calvert and Rebekah Mulligan. In the first quarter of 2025, the business and recruitment landscape has already been reshaped by macroeconomic, socio-economic, and political forces. Policy changes, inflationary pressures, and shifts in the labour market are compelling organisations across the UK and Northern Ireland to reassess their HR strategies. As workforce dynamics continue to evolve and skills demands grow, it’s essential for HR professionals to adapt their approaches to remain competitive and effectively meet new challenges.

In this 45-minute webinar, Ryan and Rebekah will share the latest trends in recruitment, exploring how organisations are addressing skills shortages, meeting the demand for flexible work, and adapting to the changing expectations of today’s candidates. From the rise of AI-assisted applications to the impact of global DEI rollbacks on local employer brands, they’ll outline the trends that will define talent acquisition in 2025 and beyond.

In this session, we’ll cover:

• Evolving Hiring Trends – Gain insight into where job demand is expected to increase in the next year.
   
• Practical Strategies for Addressing Skills Shortages and Talent Demands – Learn how organisations are responding to economic pressures and shifting labour markets.
   
• Building an Authentic and Competitive Employer Brand – Discover how cultural fit and retention efforts can strengthen your recruitment strategy.

Learn how to build trust and strengthen your employer brand in an era where candidates are more informed than ever. Our experts will also discuss how HR teams can stay authentic and competitive in a rapidly shifting environment - ensuring your organisation’s values shine through at every touchpoint, from job adverts to interviews and beyond. Expect practical tips, straight-talking insights, and just enough humour to make your talent challenges feel (almost) manageable.

Got questions? Bring them along! Ryan and Rebekah will be answering audience questions, giving you the chance to get expert advice on the issues that matter most to you.

Check out previous discussions:
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