CHANGES TO EMPLOYMENT PERMITS LEGISLATION COME INTO FORCE
The Employment Permits Act 2024 came into force on 2 September 2024. The new Act consolidates and updates the existing employment permits law and represents the biggest reform of employment permits legislation since the 2006 Act, with the intention of creating a more flexible employment permits system, better able to respond to the changing needs of the labour market.
A link to our update, which sets out some of the main provisions of the Act, is here.
FIRST DECISION ISSUES ON NEW RIGHT TO REQUEST REMOTE WORKING
In what appears to be its first decision on the new right to request remote working, the Workplace Relations Commission ("WRC") confirmed that, in a complaint relating to a request for remote working, its remit is strictly limited to assessing whether an employer considered a request in line with section 21 of the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 and in accordance with the Code of Practice on the Right to Request Remote Working. The decision confirmed that an adjudication officer is not empowered to investigate the merits of a decision made by an employer where a request for remote work has been declined. On the facts of this case, the WRC was satisfied that the employer had complied with its obligations and dismissed the complaint.
A link to the decision is here.
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