The Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Damien English TD, has today accepted a recommendation from the Labour Court to establish a Joint Labour Committee (JLC) for the Early Years’ Service sector.
Having signed the order today, June 21st, it will come in to effect on July 1st of this year.
Supporting the Childcare Sector
Of the establishment order, Minister English stated that he welcomes the Labour Court’s recommendation, and that he is happy to announce “the establishment of this new Joint Labour Committee which fulfils the Programme for Government commitment to support the establishment of a JLC in the childcare sector.”
Minister English further added that he would “encourage bodies representing both employers and employees in this sector to engage with the JLC process as it can yield positive benefits for the sector as a whole. An agreement on a new set of terms and conditions of employment will help maintain and grow the talented pool of people working in the sector as well as providing security and opportunity for career development in the Early Years’ and Childcare sectors.”
Pay and Conditions of Employment
The JLC arose as the result of collaboration between Minister English and with Childhood Services Ireland, SIPTU, and the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), Roderic O’Gorman TD. The process was initiated by Deputy O’Gorman, who appointed Dr Keith Duffy as the independent chair of the process. Dr Duffy confirmed that all parties were in agreement on the remit of the order, and that the establishment of JLC was the most appropriate and efficient way to ensure issues surrounding pay and conditions of employment are sufficiently addressed in the Early Years’ Service sector.
So what exactly is a Joint Labour Committee, and why is it important?
A Joint Labour Committee, or JLC, specifies a wage-setting mechanism determining terms and conditions of employment, in addition to providing for minimum rates of pay for workers in certain sectors. In the sectors represented by such a committee, the terms and conditions for employees may be given effect in law through an Employment Regulation Orders made by the Minister.
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