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Uimhir 21 de 1967
AN tACHT UM ÍOCAÍOCHTAÍ IOMARCAÍOCHTA, 1967
[An tiontú oifigiúil.]
CUID I
Réamhráiteach agus Ginearálta
Gearrtheideal.
1.—Féadfar an tAcht um Iocaíochtaí Iomarcaíochta, 1967, a ghairm den Acht seo.
Léiriú.
2.—(1) San Acht seo—
ciallaíonn “Acht 1952” an tAcht Leasa Shóisialaigh, 1952;
folaíonn “gnó” trádáil, tionscal, gairm nó gnóthas nó aon ghníomhaíocht a sheoltar ag duine nó ag comhlacht daoine, corpraithe nó neamhchorpraithe, nó ag údarás poiblí nó ag údarás áitiúil nó ag Roinn Stáit, agus comhlíonadh a fheidhmeanna ag údarás poiblí nó ag údarás áitiúil nó ag Roinn Stáit;
ciallaíonn “dáta an bhriste”, maidir le fostaí,—
(a) i gcás ina bhfoirceannfar a chonradh fostaíochta le fógra óna fhostóir, dáta a éagfaidh an fógra sin,
(b) i gcás ina bhfoirceannfar a chonradh fostaíochta gan fógra, ag an bhfostóir nó ag an bhfostaí, an dáta a bheidh éifeacht ag an bhfoirceannadh sin, agus
(c) i gcás ina bhfuil sé ar fostú faoi chonradh go ceann téarma shocraithe, agus go n-éagfaidh an téarma sin gan an conradh sin a athnuachan, an dáta a éagfaidh an téarma sin,
agus forléireofar dá réir sin abairtí gaolmhara;
ciallaíonn “fostaí” duine atá, nó a oibríonn (nó, i gcás conradh atá foirceannta, a d'oibrigh), faoi chonradh le fostóir, cibé acu conradh é le haghaidh obair láimhe, obair chléireachais nó eile, nó conradh sainráite nó conradh intuigthe é nó conradh ó bhéal nó conradh i scríbhinn é nó conradh seirbhíse nó conradh printíseachta nó eile é, agus forléireofar “fostóir” agus tagairt d'fhostaíocht dá réir sin;
tá le “ranníoc iomarcaíochta fostaí” agus le “ranníoc iomarcaíochta fostóra” na bríonna a shanntar dóibh le halt 27;
ciallaíonn “an tSeirbhís Fostaíochta” an tseirbhís fostaíochta a oibrítear faoi rialú an Aire agus ar a dtugtar an teideal sin;
tá leis an mbriathar “asleagan” an bhrí a shanntar dó le halt 11 (1);
tá le “cnapshuim” an bhrí a shanntar dó le halt 19;
ciallaíonn “an tAire” an tAire Saothair;
ciallaíonn “forordaithe” forordaithe le rialacháin arna ndéanamh faoin Acht seo;
tá le “lacáiste” an bhrí a shanntar dó le halt 29;
tá le “íocaíocht iomarcaíochta” an bhrí a shanntar dó le halt 7;
tá le “gearr-am” an bhrí a shanntar dó le halt 11 (2);
folaíonn “tinneas” nó “breoiteacht” a bheith éagumasach chun oibre de réir bhrí Acht 1952;
tá le “scéim iomarcaíochta speisialta” an bhrí a shanntar dó le halt 47;
tá le “an Binse” an bhrí a shanntar dó le halt 39 (1);
ciallaíonn “seachtain”, maidir le fostaí a ríomhtar a luach saothair go seachtainiúil de réir seachtaine dar críoch lá seachas an Satharn, seachtain dar críoch an lá eile sin agus, maidir le haon fhostaí eile, ciallaíonn sé seachtain dar críoch an Satharn, agus forléireofar “seachtainiúil” dá réir;
tá le “íocaíocht sheachtainiúil” an bhrí a shanntar dó le halt 30.
(2) Aon tagairt san Acht seo do Chuid, alt nó sceideal is tagairt í do Chuid nó d'alt atá san Acht seo nó do sceideal a ghabhann leis an Acht seo, mura gcuirtear in iúl gur tagairt d'achtachán éigin eile atá beartaithe.
(3) Aon tagairt san Acht seo d'fho-alt, do mhír, d'fhomhír nó do roinnteán eile is tagairt í don fho-alt, don mhír, don fhomhír nó don roinnteán eile den fhoráil (lena n-áirítear sceideal) ina bhfuil an tagairt, mura gcuirtear in iúl gur tagairt d'fhoráil eile atá beartaithe.
(4) Chun críocha oibriú an Achta seo maidir le fostaí a bhfuil a luach saothair iníoctha leis ag duine seachas a fhostóir, forléireofar tagairt san Acht seo d'fhostóir mar thagairt don duine ag arb iníoctha an luach saothair.
Tosach feidhme.
3.—Tiocfaidh an tAcht seo i ngníomh cibé lá a cheapfaidh an tAire le hordú.
Na haicmí daoine lena mbaineann an tAcht seo.
4.(1)—Faoi réir an ailt seo agus alt 47, bainfidh an tAcht seo le fostaithe ar fostú i bhfostaíocht is inárachaithe le haghaidh na sochar go léir faoi na hAchtanna Leasa Shóisialaigh, 1952 go 1966, agus le fostaithe a bhí ar fostú amhlaidh sa tréimhse dhá bhliain dar críoch dáta fostaíocht a fhoirceannadh.
(2) Ní bhainfidh an tAcht seo le duine a oibríonn, nó a mbítear ag súil go n-oibreoidh sé, leis an bhfostóir céanna ar feadh cuid is lú ná 21 uair a chloig sa tseachtain.
(3) (a) Chun an tAcht seo a chur chun feidhme maidir le fostaí ar fostú i dteaghlach príobháideach beidh feidhm ag an Acht seo (seachas alt 20) ionann is dá mba ghnó an teaghlach agus dá mba sheoladh an ghnó sin ag an bhfostóir cothabháil an teaghlaigh.
(b) Ní bhainfidh an tAcht seo le haon duine i leith fostaíochta más é an fostóir athair nó máthair nó leasathair nó leasmháthair an fhostaí nó más seanathair, seanmháthair, mac, iníon, ua, banua, leasmhac, leas-iníon, deartháir, deirfiúr, deartháir leas-ghaolmhar nó deirfiúr leas-ghaolmhar don fhostaí an fostóir, i gcás inar duine de theaghlach an fhostóra an fostaí agus go mbaineann an fhostaíocht le teach cónaithe príobháideach nó feirm ina gcónaíonn nó ar a gcónaíonn an fostóir agus an fostaí.
(4) Féadfaidh an tAire, le hordú, a dhearbhú nach mbainfidh an tAcht seo le haicme nó aicmí daoine a shonraítear san ordú agus ó thosach feidhme an ordaithe ní bhainfidh an tAcht seo leis an aicme nó na haicmí sin.
(5) D'ainneoin fo-alt (2), féadfaidh an tAire, le hordú, a dhearbhú go mbainfidh an tAcht seo le haicme shonraithe oibrí agus ó thosach feidhme an ordaithe bainfidh an tAcht seo leis an aicme sin.
(6) Féadfaidh an tAire le hordú ordú faoin alt seo a leasú nó a chúlghairm.
Rialacháin agus dréacht-orduithe áirithe a leagan faoi bhráid Thithe an Oireachtais.
5.—(1) Aon uair a bheartófar ordú a dhéanamh faoi alt 4 (4), 4 (5), 4 (6), 19 (3), 28 (3), 30 (3) nó 47, leagfar dréacht den ordú beartaithe faoi bhráid gach Tí den Oireachtas agus ní dhéanfar an t-ordú go dtí go rithfidh gach Teach acu sin rún ag ceadú an dréachta.
(2) Gach rialachán a dhéanfar faoin Acht seo leagfar é faoi bhráid gach Tí den Oireachtas a luaithe is féidir tar éis a dhéanta agus, má dhéanann ceachtar Teach acu sin laistigh den lá is fiche a shuífidh an Teach sin tar éis an rialachán a leagan faoina bhráid rún a rith ag neamhniú an rialacháin, beidh an rialachán ar neamhní dá réir sin, ach sin gan dochar d'aon ní a rinneadh roimhe sin faoin rialachán.
CUID II
Íocaíocht Iomarcaíochta
Mínithe do Chuid II.
6.—Sa Chuid seo—
ciallaíonn an briathar “scor” scor go sealadach nó go buan agus ar aon chúis ar bith;
ciallaíonn an briathar “frithdhúnadh” áit fostaíochta a dhúnadh, nó obair a fhionraí, nó diúltú ag fostóir leanúint d'aon uimhir daoine atá ar fostú aige a fhostú de dhroim díospóide, arna dhéanamh d'fhonn iallach a chur ar na daoine sin, nó d'fhonn cabhrú le fostóir eile iallach a chur ar dhaoine atá ar fostú aige, glacadh le téarmaí nó coinníollacha fostaíochta nó téarmaí nó coinníollacha a bhaineann le fostaíocht;
tá le “fógra go bhfuiltear chun éileamh a dhéanamh” an bhrí a shanntar dó le halt 12;
tá le “deimhniú iomarcaíochta” an bhrí a shanntar dó le halt 18;
ciallaíonn “stailc” scor d'obair ag comhlacht daoine i bhfostaíocht ag gníomhú dóibh i gcomhar, nó comhdhiúltú nó diúltú de thoil a chéile ag aon uimhir áirithe daoine i bhfostaíocht leanúint d'obair d'fhostóir de dhroim díospóide, arna dhéanamh chun iallach a chur ar a bhfostóir nó ar aon duine nó ar aon chomhlacht daoine i bhfostaíocht, nó cabhrú le fostaithe eile iallach a chur ar a bhfostóir nó ar aon duine nó ar aon chomhlacht daoine i bhfostaíocht, glacadh nó gan glacadh le téarmaí nó coinníollacha fostaíochta nó téarmaí nó coinníollacha a bhaineann le fostaíocht.
Ceart ginearálta chun íocaíochta iomarcaíochta.
7.—(1) Má bhristear fostaí ag a fhostóir mar gheall ar iomarcaíocht nó má asleagtar é nó má choimeádtar ar gearr-am ar feadh na tréimhse íosta é, beidh sé, faoi réir an Achta seo, i dteideal na n-íocaíochtaí airgid ar a dtabharfar (agus dá ngairtear san Acht seo) íocaíocht iomarcaíochta ar choinníoll—
(a) go raibh sé ar fostú ar feadh na tréimhse riachtanaí, agus
(b) go raibh sé ina ranníocóir fostaithe i bhfostaíocht a bhí inárachaithe le haghaidh na sochar go léir faoi na hAchtanna Leasa Shóisialaigh, 1952 go 1966, díreach roimh dháta a fhostaíocht a fhoirceannadh, nó go raibh scortha aige de bheith ar gnáthfhostú i bhfostaíocht a bhí inárachaithe amhlaidh sa tréimhse dhá bhliain dar chríoch an dáta sin.
(2) Chun críocha fho-alt (1), aon fhostaí a bhrisfear, measfar gur mar gheall ar iomarcaíocht a briseadh é más inchurtha, go hiomlán nó go formhór, an briseadh i leith—
(a) go bhfuil a fhostóir tar éis scor, nó go mbeartaíonn sé scor, den ghnó a sheoladh a raibh an fostaí ar fostú aige chuige nó tar éis scor, nó go mbeartaíonn sé scor, den ghnó sin a sheoladh san áit ina raibh an fostaí ar fostú amhlaidh, nó
(b) go bhfuil deireadh le nó laghdú ar, nó go gceaptar go mbeidh deireadh le nó laghdú ar, riachtanas a bheith sa ghnó sin le fostaithe chun obair de chineál áirithe a dhéanamh nó le fostaithe chun obair de chineál áirithe a dhéanamh san áit a raibh sé fostaithe amhlaidh.
(3) Chun críocha fho-alt (1), measfar fostaí a bheith asleagtha nó coimeádta ar gearr-am ar feadh na tréimhse íosta má bhí sé asleagtha nó coimeádta ar gearr-am ar feadh tréimhse ceithre sheachtain chomhleanúnacha nó níos mó nó ar feadh tréimhse sé sheachtain nó níos mó nach raibh comhleanúnach ach a thagann laistigh de thréimhse trí sheachtain déag chomhleanúnacha.
(4) D'ainneoin aon fhorála eile den Acht seo, i gcás ina ndéanfar fostaí a bhí ag cur isteach tréimhse oiliúna printíseachta le fostóir faoi chomhaontú printíseachta a bhriseadh laistigh de mhí tar éis deireadh na tréimhse sin, ní bheidh teideal ag an bhfostaí sin chun íocaíochta iomarcaíochta mar gheall ar an mbriseadh sin.
(5) San alt seo ciallaíonn “tréimhse riachtanach” tréimhse 208 seachtain fostaíochta leanúnaí (de réir bhrí Sceideal 3) ag an bhfostaí faoin bhfostóir a bhris é, a asleag é nó a choimeád ar gearr-am é, ach gan áireamh a dhéanamh ar aon tréimhse fostaíochta faoin bhfostóir sin sular shlánaigh an fostaí 16 bliana d'aois.
Cáiliú ar an gceart ginearálta faoi alt 7.
8.—(1) D'ainneoin aon ní in alt 7, i gcás fostaí a briseadh mar gheall ar iomarcaíocht nó a asleagadh a bheith, in imeacht na tréimhse ceithre bliana díreach roimh dháta an bhriste nó an asleagain, asleagtha ar feadh meántréimhse bliantúla ab fhaide ná dhá sheachtain déag, beidh éifeacht ag na forálacha seo a leanas:
(a) ní thiocfaidh an fostaí sin chun bheith i dteideal íocaíochta iomarcaíochta de dhroim é a bhriseadh nó a asleagan go dtí go mbeidh tréimhse comhionann leis an meántréimhse asleagain bhliantúil thar an tréimhse ceithre bliana sin maidir leis an bhfostaí sin caite ó dháta an bhriste nó an asleagain;
(b) má théann an fostaí sin ar ais chun oibre leis an bhfostóir céanna roimh dheireadh na tréimhse is gá a bheith caite faoi mhír (a), ní bheidh an fostaí sin i dteideal íocaíochta iomarcaíochta maidir leis an mbriseadh sin nó leis an asleagan sin;
(c) má thairgeann an fostóir, roimh dheireadh na tréimhse is gá a bheith caite faoi mhír (a), an fostaí a athfhostú agus go ndiúltóidh an fostaí sin go míréasúnach don tairiscint sin, ní bheidh sé i dteideal íocaíochta iomarcaíochta maidir leis an mbriseadh sin nó leis an asleagan sin.
(2) I gcás ina bhfuil feidhm ag an alt seo, ní thosóidh an chéad tréimhse ceithre sheachtain dá dtagraítear in alt 12 (2) nó an tréimhse trí sheachtain déag dá dtagraítear san alt sin go dtí deireadh na tréimhse (dá dtagraítear i bhfo-alt (1) (a)) is comhionann leis an meántréimhse asleagain bhliantúil iomchuí.
Briseadh ag fostóir.
9.—Chun críocha na Coda seo measfar, faoi réir na Coda seo, fostaí a bheith briste ag a fhostóir más rud é agus amháin más rud é—
(a) go bhfoirceannfaidh an fostóir, le fógra nó gan fógra, an conradh faoina bhfuil sé fostaithe, nó
(b) más conradh ar feadh téarma shocraithe an conradh faoina bhfuil sé fostaithe ag an bhfostóir, go n-éagfaidh an téarma sin gan é a athnuachan faoin gconradh céanna nó faoi chonradh dá shórt, nó
(c) go ndéanfaidh an fostaí an conradh faoina bhfuil sé fostaithe ag an bhfostóir a fhoirceannadh gan fógra in imthosca (nach dtagann faoi réim fho-alt (5)) de shórt go bhfuil sé i dteideal é a fhoirceannadh amhlaidh mar gheall ar iompar an fhostóra.
(2) Ní mheasfar chun críocha na Coda seo fostaí a bheith briste ag a fhostóir má athnuaitear a chonradh fostaíochta, nó má athfhruilíonn an fostóir céanna é faoi chonradh fostaíochta nua, agus—
(a) i gcás nach mbeidh forálacha an chonartha arna athnuachan nó forálacha an chonartha nua maidir leis an bhfeidhmeannas agus an áit ina mbeidh sé fostaithe agus maidir le téarmaí agus coinníollacha eile a fhostaíochta, éagsúil le forálacha comhréire an chonartha roimhe sin, agus go dtiocfaidh an athnuachan nó an t-athfhruiliú in éifeacht díreach ar dheireadh a bheith lena fhostaíocht faoin gconradh roimhe sin, nó
(b) in aon chás eile, gur de bhun tairisceana i scríbhinn óna fhostóir roimh dheireadh a theacht lena fhostaíocht faoin gconradh roimhe sin an athnuachan nó an t-athfhruiliú, agus go dtiocfaidh sé in éifeacht díreach ar dheireadh a bheith leis an bhfostaíocht sin nó tar éis eatraimh nach faide ná ceithre sheachtain dá éis sin.
(3) (a) Ní mheasfar chun críocha na Coda seo fostaí a bheith briste ag a fhostóir más rud é—
(i) go n-athfhruileofar é ag fostóir eile (dá ngairtear an fostóir nua anseo feasta) díreach ar dheireadh a bheith lena fhostaíocht roimhe sin,
(ii) go ndéanfar an t-athfhruiliú trí chomhaontú idir an fostaí, an fostóir roimhe sin agus an fostóir nua,
(iii) go bhfaighidh an fostaí, roimh thosach na tréimhse fostaíochta leis an bhfostóir nua, ráiteas i scríbhinn thar ceann an fhostóra roimhe sin agus an fhostóra nua—
(A) a leagfaidh amach téarmaí agus coinníollacha chonradh fostaíochta an fhostaí leis an bhfostóir nua,
(B) a shonróidh go measfaidh an fostóir nua, chun críocha an Achta seo, gur seirbhís leis an bhfostóir nua tréimhse seirbhíse an fhostaí leis an bhfostóir roimhe sin,
(C) ina mbeidh sonraí na seirbhíse a luaitear i gclásal (B), agus
(D) go gcuirfidh an fostaí in iúl i scríbhinn don fhostóir nua go nglacann an fostaí leis an ráiteas is gá de réir na fomhíre seo.
(b) I gcás ina ndéanfaidh an fostóir nua fostaí a athfhruiliú de réir an fho-ailt seo, measfar chun críocha an Achta seo gur seirbhís faoin bhfostóir nua an tseirbhís ag an bhfostaí sin a luaitear i mír (a) (ii).
(4) Chun fo-alt (2) a chur chun feidhme maidir le conradh faoina gcríochnaíonn an fhostaíocht ar Aoine, Satharn nó Domhnach—
(a) measfar an athnuachan nó an t-athfhruiliú a theacht in éifeacht díreach ar chríochnú don fhostaíocht faoin gconradh roimhe sin má thagann sé in éifeacht an chéad Luan, nó roimh an gcéad Luan, tar éis na hAoine, an tSathairn nó an Domhnaigh sin, agus
(b) ríomhfar an t-eatramh ceithre sheachtain a luaitear i bhfo-alt (2) (b) ionann is gurb ar an Luan sin a chríochnaigh an fhostaíocht.
(5) Nuair a fhoirceannfaidh fostaí a chonradh fostaíochta gan fógra, agus teideal aige chuige sin mar gheall ar a fhostóir frithdhúnadh, ní bhainfidh fo-alt (1) (c) leis an bhfoirceannadh sin.
(6) I gcás ina measfar de bhua fho-alt (2) nár briseadh fostaí mar gheall ar athnuachan nó athfhruiliú a theacht in éifeacht tar éis eatraimh, ansin, nuair a bheifear a chinneadh chun críocha alt 7 (1) an raibh sé ar fostú go leanúnach ar feadh na tréimhse riachtanaí, comhairfidh tréimhse an eatraimh sin mar thréimhse fostaíochta.
(7) Nuair a bheifear a chinneadh chun críocha an Achta seo an raibh fostaí briste ag a fhostóir tráth áirithe roimh thosach feidhme an Achta seo, beidh feidhm ag na forálacha iomchuí den alt seo ionann is dá mba tar éis an tosach feidhme sin a tharla an rud a bheidh le cinneadh.
Fógra ó fhostaí in oirichill fógra ó fhostóir d'éag.
10.—(1) Beidh éifeacht ag an alt seo—
(a) i gcás ina dtabharfaidh fostóir fógra d'fhostaí d'fhoirceannadh a chonradh fostaíochta, agus
(b) go dtabharfaidh an fostaí, tráth i dtréimhse éigeantach an fhógra sin, fógra i scríbhinn don fhostóir an conradh fostaíochta a fhoirceannadh ar dháta is luaithe ná an dáta a mbeidh sé dlite a éagfaidh fógra an fhostóra.
(2) Faoi réir fho-alt (3), sna himthosca a shonraítear i bhfo-alt (1), measfar, chun críocha na Coda seo, an fostaí a bheith briste ag a fhostóir, agus is é dáta an bhriste maidir leis an mbriseadh sin an dáta a éagfaidh fógra an fhostaí.
(3) Má thugann an fostóir, sula mbeidh fógra an fhostaí dlite éag, fógra i scríbhinn don fhostaí—
(a) á cheangal air a fhógra d'fhoirceannadh an chonradh fostaíochta mar a luaitear i bhfo-alt (1) (b) a tharraingt siar agus leanúint air san fhostaíocht go dtí an dáta a éagfaidh fógra an fhostóra, agus
(b) á rá, mura ndéanfaidh sé sin, go gcomhraicfidh an fostóir aon dliteanas íocaíocht iomarcaíochta a íoc leis i leith a chonradh fostaíochta a fhoirceannadh,
ach go ndiúltóidh an fostaí go míréasúnach déanamh de réir cheanglais an fhógra sin, ní bheidh an fostaí i dteideal íocaíochta iomarcaíochta de bhua fho-alt (2).
(4) San alt seo—
(a) má bhíonn tréimhse iarbhír fhógra an fhostóra (is é sin le rá, an tréimhse dar tosach tráth an fógra a thabhairt agus dar críoch tráth a éaga) comhionann leis an tréimhse íosta a cheanglaítear (de bhua aon achtacháin nó eile) a thabharfaidh an fostóir chun an conradh fostaíochta a fhoirceannadh, ciallaíonn “an tréimhse éigeantach”, maidir leis an bhfógra sin, tréimhse iarbhír an fhógra;
(b) in aon chás eile,
ciallaíonn “an tréimhse éigeantach”, maidir le fógra fostóra, an tréimhse sin, agus í comhionann leis an tréimhse íosta dá dtagraítear i mír (a), a éagfaidh an tráth a éagfaidh fógra an fhostóra.
Asleagan agus gearr-am.
11.—(1) I gcás ina scoirfidh fostaíocht fostaí, tar éis tosach feidhme an Achta seo, mar gheall ar a fhostóir a bheith neamhábalta an obair a sholáthar ar fostaíodh an fostaí chun í a dhéanamh, agus—
(a) gur réasúnach sna himthosca ag an bhfostóir sin a chreidiúint nach scor buan a bheidh sa scor fostaíochta, agus
(b) go dtabharfaidh an fostóir fógra sa chéill sin don fhostaí roimh an scor,
measfar chun críocha an Achta seo gur asleagan an scor fostaíochta sin.
(2) I gcás ina dtarlóidh mar gheall ar laghdú ar an obair a sholáthróidh fostóir d'fhostaí (is obair de chineál a bhfuil an fostaí fostaithe faoina chonradh chun í a dhéanamh) gur lú luach saothair an fhostaí d'aon seachtain ná leath a ghnáthluach saothair sheachtainiúil, measfar chun críocha na Coda seo é a bheith coimeádta ar gearr-am ar feadh na seachtaine sin.
Ceart chun íocaíochta iomarcaíochta mar gheall ar asleagan na gearr-am.
12.—(1) Ní bheidh fostaí i dteideal íocaíochta iomarcaíochta mar gheall ar é a asleagan nó a choimeád ar gearr-am mura dtabharfaidh sé fógra (dá ngairtear sa Chuid seo fógra go bhfuiltear chun éileamh a dhéanamh) i scríbhinn dá fhostóir go bhfuil sé chun íocaíochta iomarcaíochta a éileamh i leith asleagain nó gearr-ama.
(2) Aon fhostaí a mbeidh fógra go bhfuiltear chun éileamh a dhéanamh tugtha aige ní bheidh sé i dteideal íocaíochta iomarcaíochta de bhun an fhógra sin mura ndéanfaidh sé go cuí, laistigh de thréimhse mhíosa ó dháta an fhógra sin, nó, má bhíonn an t-ábhar curtha faoi bhráid an Bhinse Achomhairc, laistigh de mhí ón dáta a chuirfear cinneadh an Bhinse in iúl don fhostaí, a chonradh fostaíochta a fhoirceannadh tríd an bhfógra a thabhairt a cheanglaítear leis an gconradh sin nó, mura gceanglaítear amhlaidh aon fhógra a thabhairt, trí fhógra seachtaine ar a laghad a thabhairt i scríbhinn dá fhostóir i dtaobh an fostaí a bheith chun an conradh sin a fhoirceannadh, agus, sula seirbheálfar an fógra go bhfuiltear chun éileamh a dhéanamh—
(a) go mbeidh sé asleagtha nó coimeádta ar gearr-am ar feadh ceithre sheachtain chomhleanúnacha nó níos mó ar chríochnaigh an tseachtain deiridh díobh roimh an bhfógra a sheirbheáil ar dháta an fhógra a sheirbheáil nó a chríochnaigh ar dháta nár luaithe ná ceithre sheachtain roimh an dáta sin, nó
(b) má bhíonn sé asleagtha nó coimeádta ar gearr-am ar feadh sraith sé sheachtain nó níos mó (nárbh sheachtainí comhleanúnacha níos mó ná trí cinn díobh), i dtréimhse trí sheachtain déag, i gcás inar chríochnaigh an tseachtain deiridh den tsraith roimh dháta an fhógra a sheirbheáil ar an dáta a seirbheáladh an fógra nó a chríochnaigh ar dháta nár luaithe ná ceithre sheachtain roimh an dáta sin.
Ceart an fhostóra chun frithfhógra a thabhairt.
13.—(1) Faoi réir fho-alt (2), ní bheidh fostaí i dteideal íocaíochta iomarcaíochta de bhun fógra go bhfuiltear chun éileamh a dhéanamh má ba rud é, ar dháta an fhógra sin a sheirbheáil, gur réasúnach a bheith ag súil go dtosódh an fostaí (dá leanadh sé air de bheith ar fostú ag an bhfostóir céanna), tráth nár dhéanaí ná ceithre sheachtain tar éis an dáta sin, ar thréimhse fostaíochta trí sheachtain déag ar a laghad nach ndéanfaí é a asleagan ná a choimeád ar gearr-am ar feadh aon seachtaine lena linn.
(2) Ní bheidh feidhm ag fo-alt (1) mura dtabharfaidh an fostóir, laistigh de sheacht lá tar éis an fógra go bhfuiltear chun éileamh a dhéanamh a sheirbheáil, fógra (dá ngairtear frithfhógra sa Chuid seo) i scríbhinn don fhostaí go gcomhraicfidh sé aon dliteanas íocaíocht iomarcaíochta a íoc leis de bhun an fhógra go bhfuiltear chun éileamh a dhéanamh.
(3) Más rud é, i gcás ina dtabharfaidh fostaí fógra go bhfuiltear chun éileamh a dhéanamh agus go dtabharfaidh an fostóir frithfhógra, go leanfaidh an fostaí nó go mbeidh leanta aige, in imeacht na gcéad ceithre sheachtain tar éis dáta an fhógra go bhfuiltear chun éileamh a dhéanamh a sheirbheáil, de bheith ar fostú ag an bhfostóir céanna, agus go mbeidh sé nó go raibh sé asleagtha nó coimeádta ar gearr-am gach seachtain acu sin, toimhdeofar go cinntitheach nár comhlíonadh an coinníoll a shonraítear i bhfo-alt (1).
(4) Chun críocha alt 12(2) agus chun críocha fho-alt (3)—
(a) ní dhéanfaidh sé difear más rud é, i gcás sraith seachtainí (cibé acu ceithre sheachtain, ceithre sheachtain nó níos mó, nó sé sheachtain nó níos mó), gurb éard í go hiomlán sraith de sheachtainí a bhí an fostaí asleagtha ar a bhfeadh nó coimeádta ar gearr-am ar a bhfeadh nó asleagtha ar feadh coda díobh agus coimeádta ar gearr-am ar feadh coda díobh;
(b) ní chuirfear i gcuntas aon seachtain a bheidh fostaí asleagtha nó coimeádta ar gearr-am más i leith stailce nó frithdhúnaidh is inchurtha, go hiomlán nó go formhór, an t-asleagan nó an gearr-am cibé acu sa trádáil nó sa tionscal ina mbeidh an fostaí ar fostú nó nach ansin, agus cibé acu sa Stát nó in áit eile, a bheidh an stailc nó an frithdhúnadh.
Díth teidil chun íocaíochta iomarcaíochta mar gheall ar bhriseadh de dhroim mí-iompair.
14.—(1) Faoi réir fho-alt (2), ní bheidh fostaí a briseadh i dteideal íocaíochta iomarcaíochta má dhéanann a fhostóir, agus teideal aige conradh fostaíochta an fhostaí sin a fhoirceannadh gan fógra de dhroim iompar an fhostaí sin, an conradh a fhoirceannadh mar gheall ar iompar an fhostaí—
(a) gan fógra,
(b) trí fhógra níos giorra a thabhairt ná an fógra a bheadh, d'éagmais an iompair sin, de cheangal ar an bhfostóir a thabhairt chun an conradh a fhoirceannadh, nó
(c) trí fhógra (seachas an fógra sin a luaitear i bhfomhír (b)) a thabhairt ina mbeidh, nó a mbeidh ag gabháil leis, ráiteas i scríbhinn go mbeadh an fostóir i dteideal, mar gheall ar an iompar sin, an conradh a fhoirceannadh gan fógra.
(2) Nuair a ghlacfaidh fostaí a mbeidh an fógra is gá de réir alt 17 faighte aige páirt, roimh dháta an bhriste, i stailc agus go bhfoirceannfaidh a fhostóir, mar gheall ar é a bheith páirteach sa stailc sin, a chonradh fostaíochta leis an bhfostaí ar shlí a luaitear i bhfo-alt (1), ní bhainfidh an fo-alt sin leis an bhfoirceannadh sin.
(3) Más rud é, i gcás fostaí a bheidh tar éis fógra d'fhoirceannadh a chonartha fostaíochta a thabhairt mar gheall ar asleagan nó gearr-am, go nglacfaidh sé páirt, roimh éag don fhógra, i stailc agus go mbrisfear é mar gheall ar an bpáirt sin a ghlacadh, ní bheidh feidhm ag fo-alt (1).
Díth teidil chun íocaíochta iomarcaíochta mar gheall ar dhiúltú glacadh le malairt fostaíochta.
15.—(1) Aon fhostaí a mbeidh an fógra is gá de réir alt 17 faighte aige ní bheidh sé i dteideal íocaíochta iomarcaíochta má tharlaíonn sa tréimhse dhá sheachtain dár críoch dáta an bhriste—
(a) go mbeidh a fhostóir tar éis a thairiscint conradh fostaíochta an fhostaí sin a athnuachan nó é a athfhruiliú faoi chonradh fostaíochta nua,
(b) nach mbeadh forálacha an chonartha arna athnuachan, nó forálacha an chonartha nua, maidir leis an bhfeidhmeannas agus an áit ina mbeadh sé fostaithe agus maidir le téarmaí agus coinníollacha eile a fhostaíochta éagsúil le forálacha comhréire an chonartha a bhí i bhfeidhm díreach sular briseadh é,
(c) go mbeadh éifeacht ag an athnuachan nó ag an athfhruiliú ar dháta an bhriste nó roimhe sin, agus
(d) gur dhiúltaigh sé go míréasúnach don tairiscint.
(2) Aon fhostaí a mbeidh an fógra is gá de réir alt 17 faighte aige ní bheidh sé i dteideal íocaíochta iomarcaíochta má tharlaíonn sa tréimhse dhá sheachtain dar críoch dáta an bhriste—
(a) go mbeidh a fhostóir tar éis a thairiscint dó i scríbhinn conradh fostaíochta an fhostaí a athnuachan nó é a athfhruiliú faoi chonradh fostaíochta nua,
(b) go mbeadh forálacha an chonartha arna athnuachan, nó forálacha an chonartha nua, maidir leis an bhfeidhmeannas agus an áit ina mbeadh sé fostaithe agus maidir le téarmaí agus coinníoll cha eile a fhostaíochta éagsúil go hiomlán nó go páirteach le forálacha comhréire an chonartha sin aige a bhí i bhfeidhm díreach sular briseadh é,
(c) gur tairiscint fostaíochta oiriúnaí maidir leis an bhfostaí an tairiscint,
(d) go dtiocfadh an athnuachan nó an t-athfhruiliú in éifeacht tráth nach déanaí ná ceithre sheachtain tar éis dáta an bhriste, agus
(e) gur dhiúltaigh sé go míréasúnach don tairiscint.
(3) I gcás ina mbeidh an tSeirbhís Fostaíochta tar éis fostaíocht oiriúnach a thairiscint do dhuine a bheidh i dteideal íocaíochta seachtainiúla agus go mbeidh sé tar éis diúltú go míreasúnach don tairiscint sin, beidh an duine sin dícháilithe ar feadh tréimhse nach faide ná sé sheachtain chun íocaíocht sheachtainiúil a fháil.
Comhchuideachtaí.
16.—(1) I gcás inar cuideachta fostóir, déanfar aon tagairt sa Chuid seo d'athfhruiliú ag an bhfostóir a fhorléiriú mar thagairt d'athfhruiliú ag an gcuideachta sin nó ag comh chuideachta, agus déanfar aon tagairt sa Chuid seo do thairiscint ón bhfostóir a fhorléiriú mar thagairt a fholaíonn tagairt do thairiscint ó chomhchuideachta.
(2) Ní dhéanfaidh fo-alt (1) difear do ghníomhú alt 20 i gcás inar comhchuideachtaí an réamh-úinéir agus an t-úinéir nua (arna míniú leis an alt sin); agus ní bheidh feidhm ag fo-alt (1) i gcás ina mbeidh feidhm ag an alt sin.
(3) I gcás ina mbrisfidh a fhostóir fostaí, agus gur cuideachta (dá ngairtear an chuideachta fostaíochta san fho-alt seo) ag a bhfuil comhchuideachta nó comhchuideachtaí an fostóir, ansin—
(a) má bhíonn ceachtar de na coinníollacha a shonraítear in ailt 7 (2) (a) agus 7 (2) (b) gan chomhlíonadh, ach
(b) go mbeadh ceann amháin nó an ceann eile de na coinníollacha sin comhlíonta dá measfaí gur aon ghnó amháin gnó na cuideachta fostaíochta agus gnó na comhchuideachta (nó, má bhíonn níos mó ná ceann ann, gach ceann de na comhchuideachtaí) i dteannta a chéile,
measfar chun críocha na Coda seo an coinníoll sin a bheith comhlíonta maidir le briseadh an fhostaí.
(4) Chun críocha an ailt seo measfar gur comhchuideachtaí dhá chuideachta más fochuideachta do cheann acu an ceann eile, nó más fochuideachtaí do thríú cuideachta an dá cheann acu, agus forléireofar “comhchuideachta” dá réir sin.
(5) San alt seo—
folaíonn “cuideachta” aon chomhlacht corpraithe;
tá le “fochuideachta” an bhrí chéanna atá, de bhua alt 155 d'Acht na gCuideachtaí, 1963, leis chun críocha an Achta sin.
Fógra i dtaobh é bheith beartaithe fostaí a bhriseadh mar gheall ar iomarcaíocht.
17.—(1) Aon fhostóir a bheartaíonn fostaí a bhfuil cuid nach giorra ná ceithre bliana seirbhíse aige leis an bhfostóir sin a bhriseadh mar gheall ar iomarcaíocht déanfaidh sé, tráth nach déanaí ná dhá sheachtain roimh dháta an bhriste, fógra i scríbhinn a thabhairt don fhostaí i dtaobh é a bheith beartaithe é a bhriseadh agus cóip den fhógra sin a chur chuig an Aire.
(2) Féadfaidh an tAire rialacháin a dhéanamh chun éifeacht a thabhairt don alt seo agus, gan dochar do ghinearáltacht an mhéid sin roimhe seo, féadfaidh baint a bheith ag rialacháin faoin alt seo le gach ní ná aon ní acu seo a leanas—
(a) na sonraí a chuirfear san fhógra,
(b) modh seirbheála an fhógra,
(c) cóip den fhógra a thabhairt don Aire agus an tráth chun cóip den sórt sin a thabhairt.
(3) Aon fhostóir a mhainneoidh déanamh de réir an ailt seo nó a thabharfaidh eolas bréagach i bhfógra faoin alt seo beidh sé ciontach i gcion agus ar a chiontú go hachomair dlífear fíneáil nach mó ná caoga punt a chur air.
Deimhniú iomarcaíochta.
18.—(1) Nuair a bhrisfidh fostóir fostaí mar gheall ar iomarcaíocht tabharfaidh sé deimhniú (dá ngairtear deimhniú iomarcaíochta sa Chuid seo) don fhostaí.
(2) Aon uair a fhoirceannfaidh fostaí a chonradh fostaíochta de réir alt 12 (2) tabharfaidh a fhostóir deimhniú iomarcaíochta dó.
(3) Féadfaidh an tAire rialacháin a dhéanamh chun éifeacht a thabhairt don alt seo agus, gan dochar do ghinearáltacht an mhéid sin roimhe seo, féadfaidh sé na sonraí a chuirfear i ndeimhniú iomarcaíochta a fhorordú.
(4) Aon fhostóir a mhainneoidh déanamh de réir an ailt seo nó a thabharfaidh eolas bréagach i ndeimhniú iomarcaíochta beidh sé ciontach i gcion agus ar a chiontú go hachomair dlífear fíneáil nach mó ná caoga punt a chur air.
Íocfaidh fostóir cnapshuim.
19.—(1) Nuair a bhrisfear mar gheall ar iomarcaíocht fostaí ag a bhfuil teideal faoin gCuid seo chun íocaíochta iomarcaíochta, nó nuair a dhéanfaidh fostaí den sórt sin a chonradh fostaíochta a fhoirceannadh de réir alt 12 (2), íocfaidh a fhostóir leis suim dá ngairtear an chnapshuim san Acht seo.
(2) Beidh feidhm ag Sceideal 3 maidir leis an gcnapshuim.
(3) Féadfaidh an tAire Sceideal 3 a leasú le hordú.
Athrú ar úinéireacht gnó.
20.—(1) Beidh éifeacht ag an alt seo i gcás—
(a) ina dtiocfaidh athrú (de bhua díola nó diúscairte eile nó trí oibriú dlí) ar úinéireacht gnó a mbeidh duine fostaithe chuige, nó ar úinéireacht chuid de ghnó den sórt sin, agus
(b) i ndáil leis an athrú sin go ndéanfaidh an duine a mbeidh an fostaí ar fostú aige díreach sula dtarlóidh an t-athrú (dá ngairtear an réamh-úinéir san alt seo) conradh fostaíochta an fhostaí a fhoirceannadh le fógra nó gan fógra.
(2) Má dhéanann an duine (dá ngairtear an t-úinéir nua san alt seo) arb é is úinéir, díreach tar éis an athraithe ar an ngnó nó ar an gcuid den ghnó a bheidh i gceist de réir mar a bheidh má dhéanann sé, trí chomhaontú leis an bhfostaí, conradh fostaíochta an fhostaí a athnuachan (agus ainm an úinéara nua a chur in ionad an réamh-úinéara) nó é a athfhruiliú faoi chonradh nua fostaíochta, beidh éifeacht ag alt 9 (2) ionann is dá mba athnuachan nó athfhruiliú ag an réamh-úinéir (gan ainm an úinéara nua a chur in ionad ainm an réamh-úinéara) an athnuachan nó an t-athfhruiliú.
(3) Má thairgeann an t-úinéir nua conradh fostaíochta an fhostaí a athnuachan (agus ainm an úinéara nua a chur in ionad ainm an réamh-úinéara) nó é a athfhruiliú faoi chonradh fostaíochta nua, ach go ndiúltóidh an fostaí don tairiscint, beidh éifeacht ag alt 15 (1) nó ag alt 15 (2) (de réir mar is iomchuí), faoi réir fho-alt (4) den alt seo, maidir leis an tairiscint agus an diúltú sin mar a bheadh éifeacht aige maidir lena shamhail de thairiscint ón réamh-úinéir agus diúltú don tairiscint sin ag an bhfostaí.
(4) Chun críocha alt 15 (1) nó 15 (2) a chur i ngníomh, de réir fho-alt 3 den alt seo, maidir le tairiscint ón úinéir nua—
(a) ní dhéileálfar leis an tairiscint mar thairiscint trína mbeadh forálacha an chonartha arna athnuachan, nó forálacha an chonartha nua, de réir mar a bheidh, éagsúil le forálacha comhréire an chonartha mar bhí i bhfeidhm díreach roimh an mbriseadh ar an aon chúis amháin go gcuirfí ainm an úinéara nua in ionad ainm an réamh-úinéara mar fhostóir, agus
(b) ní chuirfear i gcuntas an cur in ionad sin nuair a bheifear a chinneadh an raibh sé míréasúnach diúltú don tairiscint.
(5) Beidh éifeacht (faoi réir na modhnuithe is gá) ag fo-ailt (1) go (4) maidir le cás—
(a) ina bhfuil an duine ab úinéir ar ghnó, nó ar chuid de ghnó, díreach roimh athrú, ar dhuine de na daoine is úinéirí (mar chomhpháirtithe, iontaobhaithe nó eile) air díreach tar éis an athraithe, nó
(b) ina bhfuil ar na daoine ab úinéirí ar ghnó, nó ar chuid de ghnó, díreach roimh athrú (mar chomhpháirtithe, iontaobhaithe nó eile) an duine is úinéir, nó duine amháin nó níos mó de na daoine is úinéirí, air díreach tar éis an athraithe,
mar atá éifeacht ag na forálacha sin i gcás nach é an duine céanna an réamh-úinéir agus an t-úinéir nua.
(6) Ní fhorléireofar aon ní san alt seo mar ní a cheanglaíonn go measfar gurb ionann aon athrú ar chonradh fostaíochta trí chomhaontú idir na páirtithe agus an conradh a fhoirceannadh.
Foirceannadh intuigthe nó inchiallaithe ar chonradh.
21.—(1) Más rud é, de réir aon achtacháin nó rialach dlí, go n-oibreoidh aon ghníomh ar thaobh fostóra nó aon teagmhas a bhaineann le fostóir (lena n-áirítear, i gcás pearsan aonair, a bhás) chun foirceannadh a dhéanamh ar chonradh faoina bhfuil fostaí ar fostú aige, measfar, chun críocha an Achta seo, gur foirceannadh ar an gconradh ag an bhfostóir an gníomh nó an teagmhas sin dá mba rud é nárbh fhoirceannadh ar an gconradh aige é ar leithligh ón bhfo-alt seo.
(2) I gcás—
(a) ina bhfuil feidhm ag fo-alt (1),
(b) ina bhfuil conradh fostaíochta an fhostaí gan athnuachan,
(c) ina bhfuil sé gan é a athfhruiliú faoi chonradh nua, mar a fhoráiltear le halt 9 (2),
measfar, chun críocha an Achta seo, é a bheith briste mar gheall ar iomarcaíocht más inchurtha, go hiomlán nó go páirteach, i leith fíorais a shonraítear in alt 7 (2) (a) nó 7 (2) (b) na himthosca faoina bhfuil an conradh gan athnuachan agus eisean gan é a athfhruiliú (mar a fhoráiltear leis an alt sin 9 (2)).
(3) Chun críocha fho-alt (2), déanfar alt 7 (2) (a), a mhéid a bhaineann sé leis an bhfostóir do scor, nó beartú do scor, den ghnó a sheoladh, a fhorleiriú ionann is dá bhfolódh an tagairt don fhostóir tagairt d'aon duine chun ar aistrigh, de dhroim an ghnímh nó an teagmhais a bheidh i gceist, cumhacht chun an gnó a dhiúscairt.
(4) San alt seo folaíonn tagairt d'alt 9 (2) tagairt don alt sin arna chur chun feidhme le halt 20 (2).
Feidhm na Coda seo ar an bhfostóir nó an fostaí d'fháil bháis.
22.—(1) Beidh éifeacht ag Cuid I de Sceideal 2 maidir le bás fostóra.
(2) Beidh éifeacht ag Cuid 2 de Sceideal 2 maidir le bás fostaí.
Modhnú ar an gceart chun íocaíochta iomarcaíochta i gcás inar íocadh íocaíocht iomarcaíochta roimhe sin.
23.—(1) Beidh feidhm ag an alt seo i gcás—
(a) ina n-íocfar cnapshuim le fostaí faoi alt 19, i leith briseadh, asleagan nó gearr-am,
(b) ina n-athnuafar an conradh fostaíochta faoina raibh sé fostaithe (dá ngairtear an réamhchonradh san alt seo), ag an bhfostóir céanna nó ag fostóir eile, nó ina n-athfhruileofar é faoi chonradh fostaíochta nua ag an bhfostóir céanna nó ag fostóir eile, agus
(c) gurb amhlaidh d'imthosca na hathnuachana nó an athfhruilithe go mbeadh sé, nuair a bheifí a chinneadh, chun críocha alt 7 (1) nó Sceideal 3, an raibh sé, aon tráth iardain, tar éis a bheith ar fostú go leanúnach ar feadh na tréimhse riachtanaí, nó cad é an tréimhse a raibh sé ar fostú go leanúnach ar a feadh, le meas, ar leithligh ón alt seo, nár bhriseadh ar leanúntas a thréimhse fostaíochta foirceannadh an réamhchonartha agus an athnuachan nó an t-athfruiliú.
(2) Nuair a bheifear a chinneadh chun críocha alt 7 (1) nó alt 19 i gcás lena mbaineann an t-alt seo an raibh fostaí, aon tráth iardain, ar fostú go leanúnach ar feadh na tréimhse riachtanaí nó cad é an tréimhse a raibh sé ar fostú go leanúnach ar a feadh, measfar leanúntas na tréimhse fostaíochta a bheith arna briseadh ar an dáta arbh é dáta an bhriste é maidir leis an gcnapshuim a luaitear i bhfo-alt 1 (a), agus déanfar neamhshuim d'aon am roimh an dáta sin.
(3) Chun críocha an ailt seo, measfar cnapshuim a bheith arna híoc má bhíonn iomlán na híocaíochta íoctha leis an bhfostaí ag an bhfostóir nó má bhíonn an tAire tar éis suim a íoc leis an bhfostaí i leith na híocaíochta iomarcaíochta faoi alt 32.
Teorainn ama le héilimh ar íocaíocht iomarcaíochta.
24.—D'ainneoin aon fhorála eile den Acht seo, ní bheidh fostaí i dteideal cnapshuime mura rud é, roimh dheireadh na tréimhse tríocha seachtain dar tosach dáta an bhriste nó dáta fostaíocht a fhoirceannadh—
(a) go mbeifear tar éis aontú ar an íocaíocht agus í a íoc, nó
(b) go mbeidh an fostaí tar éis an íocaíocht a éileamh trí fhógra i scríbhinn a tugadh don fhostóir, nó
(c) go mbeidh aon cheist faoi cheart an fhostaí chun na híocaíochta, nó faoi mhéid na híocaíochta, tarchurtha chun an Bhinse faoi alt 39.
Fostaíocht go hiomlán nó go páirteach lasmuigh den Stát.
25.—(1) Ní bheidh fostaí i dteideal íocaíochta iomarcaíochta má bhíonn sé lasmuigh den Stát ar dháta an bhriste, mura sa Stát a d'oibrigh sé de ghnáth faoina chonradh fostaíochta.
(2) Aon fhostaí a oibríonn de ghnáth lasmuigh den Stát faoina chonradh fostaíochta ní bheidh sé i dteideal íocaíochta iomarcaíochta mura raibh, díreach sular thosaigh sé ag obair lasmuigh den Stát, sainchónaí air sa Stát agus é ar fostú ag an bhfostóir lena mbaineann agus mura rud é—
(a) go raibh sé sa Stát de réir orduithe óna fhostóir ar dháta an bhriste, nó
(b) nach bhfuair sé deis réasúnach óna fhostóir ar bheith sa Stát ar an dáta sin.
(3) Nuair a bheidh ríomh á dhéanamh chun críocha an Achta seo ar an tréimhse seirbhíse a bhí duine i bhfostaíocht leanúnach, déanfar aon tréimhse seirbhíse i bhfostaíocht faoin bhfostóir lena mbainfidh le linn don fhostaí a bheith lasmuigh den Stát a áireamh mar sheirbhís i bhfostaíocht faoin bhfostóir sin sa Stát.
(4) I gcás ina dtiocfaidh fostaí a mbeidh oibrithe aige dá fhostóir lasmuigh den Stát chun bheith i dteideal íocaíochta iomarcaíochta faoin Acht seo, beidh an fostóir, nuair a bheidh sé ag íoc aon íocaíocht chnapshuime a bheidh dlite don fhostaí faoi alt 19, i dteideal aon íocaíocht iomarcaíochta a raibh teideal ag an bhfostaí sin chuici faoi scéim reachtúil a bhain le hiomarcaíocht sa Stát ina raibh sé ag obair a bhaint as an íocaíocht sin.
CUID III
An Ciste Iomarcaíochta
An Ciste Iomarcaíochta a bhunú.
26.—(1) Chun críocha an Achta seo bunófar ciste ar a dtabharfar an Ciste Iomarcaíochta a n-íocfar ann isteach an t-airgead go léir a gheobhaidh an tAire faoin gCuid seo agus a n-íocfar as amach íocaíochtaí de réir an Achta seo.
(2) Beidh sa Chuntas Iomarcaíochta cuntas reatha a bhainisteoidh agus a rialóidh an tAire, agus cuntas infheistíochta a bhainisteoidh agus a rialóidh an tAire Airgeadais.
(3) Ach amháin mar a bhforáiltear a mhalairt go sonrach, déanfar suimeanna is iníoctha isteach sa Chiste Iomarcaíochta a íoc isteach i gcuntas reatha an Chiste sin agus íocfar as an gcuntas sin suimeanna is iníoctha as an gCiste Iomarcaíochta.
(4) Déanfar airgead a bheidh chun creidiúna chuntas reatha an Chiste Iomarcaíochta agus nach mbeidh ag teastáil faoi chomhair chaiteachais reatha a aistriú chun cuntas infheistíochta an Chiste Iomarcaíochta.
(5) Aon uair nach mbeidh dóthain airgid i gcuntas reatha an Chiste Iomarcaíochta faoi chomhair dliteanais an chuntais sin, déanfar cibé suimeanna is gá chun na dliteanais sin a urscaoileadh a aistriú chun an chuntais sin ó chuntas infheistíochta an Chiste Iomarcaíochta.
(6) Faoi réir fho-alt (5), infheisteoidh an tAire Airgeadais airgead a bheidh chun creidiúna do chuntas infheistíochta an Chiste Iomarcaíochta, agus íocfar isteach sa chuntas sin an t-ioncam ó aon infheistíocht den sórt sin.
(7) Féadfar aon infheistíocht de bhun fho-alt (6) a dhéanamh in aon urrúis a bhfuil cumhacht dlí de thuras na huaire ag iontaobhaithe cistí iontaobhais a infheistiú iontu nó in aon cheann de na stoic, na cistí agus na hurrúis atá údaraithe le dlí de thuras na huaire mar infheistíochtaí do chistí Bhanc Taisce an Phoist.
(8) Déanfar cuntais an Chiste Iomarcaíochta a ullmhú i cibé foirm, i cibé slí agus cibé tráthanna a ordóidh an tAire Airgeadais agus scrúdóidh agus deimhneoidh an tArd-Reachtaire Cuntas agus Ciste gach cuntas den sórt sin agus déanfar cóip de, mar aon le tuarascáil an Ard-Reachtaire Cuntas agus Ciste air, a leagan faoi bhráid gach Tí den Oireachtas.
Airgead don Chiste Iomarcaíochta.
27.—(1) D'fhonn airgead a sholáthar chun íocaíochtaí a dhéanamh a bheidh le déanamh faoin Acht seo as an gCiste Iomarcaíochta, íocfar isteach sa Ciste—
(a) ranníocaí seachtainiúla a bheidh comhdhéanta de ranníoc (dá ngairtear ranníoc iomarcaíochta fostóra sa Chuid seo) ó fhostóirí agus ranníoc (dá ngairtear ranníoc iomarcaíochta fostaí sa Chuid seo) ó fhostaithe, agus
(b) airleacain dá ndéantar socrú i bhfo-alt (2).
(2) Féadfaidh an tAire Airgeadais, ar mholadh ón Aire, cibé suimeanna is cuí leis a airleacan ó am go ham chun an Chiste ionas go bhféadfar cibé íocaíochtaí a íoc as an gCiste is gá de réir an Achta seo.
(3) Tabharfar airleacain don Chiste Iomarcaíochta faoi fho-alt (2) ar cibé téarmaí maidir le haisíoc, ús agus ábhair eile a chinnfidh tAire Airgeadais tar éis dul i gcomhairle leis an Aire.
(4) Íocfar isteach sa Státchiste nó cuirfear chun tairbhe don Státchiste na suimeanna go léir a íocfaidh an Ciste d'aisíoc airleacain faoin alt seo nó de bhun aon téarma nó coinníll ar an tugadh airleacan faoina réir faoin alt seo.
(5) Déanfar an t-airgead go léir a theastóidh ó am go ham ón Aire Airgeadais faoi chomhair suimeanna a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníoctha aige faoin alt seo a íoc as an bPríomh-Chiste nó a thoradh fáis.
(6) Féadfaidh an tAire Airgeadais, d'fhonn soláthar a dhéanamh chun suimeanna a airleacan as an bPríomh-Chiste faoin alt seo, aon suimeanna is gá chuige sin a fháil ar iasacht ar urrús an Phríomh-Chiste nó a thoradh fáis, agus chun an céanna a fháil ar iasacht, féadfaidh sé urrúis ar bith a bhunú agus a eisiúint agus iad faoi cibé ráta úis agus faoi réir cibé coinníollacha i dtaobh aisíoca nó fuascailte nó eile is oiriúnach leis, agus íocfaidh sé isteach sa Státchiste an t-airgead go léir a gheofar ar iasacht amhlaidh.
(7) Is ar an bPríomh-Chiste nó a thoradh fáis a bheidh muirear phríomhshuime agus úis ná n-urrús go léir a eiseofar faoin alt seo agus muirear na gcostas a thabhófar i ndáil leis na hurrúis sin a eisiúint.
(8) Déanfaidh an tAire ioncam agus caiteachas an Chiste Iomarcaíochta do bhliain airgeadais a chinneadh chun críocha an ailt seo ar cibé foras ar a gcomhaontóidh sé féin agus an tAire Airgeadais.
Méid an ranníoca sheachtainiúil isteach sa Chiste Iomarcaíochta.
28.—(1) Is é ráta ranníoc iomarcaíochta fostóra ocht bpingin gach seachtain ranníoca i leith gach fearfhostaí cháilithe agus sé phingin gach seachtain ranníoca i leith gach banfhostaí cháilithe.
(2) Is é ráta ranníoc iomarcaíochta fostaí ceithre phingin gach seachtain ranníoca ag fearfhostaí cáilithe agus trí phingin gach seachtain ranníoca ag banfhostaí cáilithe.
(3) (a) Féadfaidh an tAire le hordú ráta a shonraítear san alt seo a athrú.
(b) Féadfaidh an tAire le hordú ordú faoin bhfo-alt seo a leasú nó a chúlghairm.
(4) Beidh fostóir faoi dhliteanas sa chéad ásc ranníoc iomarcaíochta an fhostóra ina leith féin agus freisin, thar ceann agus d'eisiamh gach fostaí cháilithe, an ranníoc is iníoctha ag an bhfostaí sin a íoc.
(5) Beidh fostóir i dteideal, faoi réir agus de réir rialachán, méid aon ranníoca iomarcaíochta a d'íoc sé, nó a bheidh le híoc aige, thar ceann fostaí cháilithe a ghnóthú ón bhfostaí sin, agus, d'ainneoin aon ní in aon achtachán, féadfaidh rialacháin chun críocha an fho-ailt seo gnóthú trí asbhaintí as luach saothair an fhostaí sin a údarú, ach forálfaidh aon rialacháin den sórt sin—
(a) nach mbeidh an fostóir i dteideal, i gcás nach bhfaighidh an fostaí aon luach saothair ina airgead ón bhfostóir ná ó aon duine eile, méid aon ranníoca den sórt sin a ghnóthú uaidh, agus
(b) nach mbeidh an fostóir i dteideal, i gcás ina bhfaighidh an fostaí aon luach saothair ina airgead ón bhfostóir, aon ranníoc den sórt sin a ghnóthú seachas trí asbhaint.
(6) D'ainneoin aon chonartha dá mhalairt, ní bheidh fostóir i dteideal an ranníoc iomarcaíochta i leith duine atá ar fostú aige a bhaint as luach saothair an duine sin ná a ghnóthú ar aon slí eile ón duine sin.
(7) Beidh ranníoc faoin alt seo iníoctha in aghaidh gach seachtaine ranníoca a raibh an fostaí lena mbaineann ar fostú ar a feadh go léir nó ar feadh coda di agus a raibh ranníoc fostaíochta iníoctha don duine sin faoi Acht 1952.
(8) San alt seo—
ciallaíonn “seachtain ranníoca” tréimhse seacht lá dar tosach meán oíche Domhnaigh;
ciallaíonn “cáilithe”, maidir le fostaí, fostaí lena mbaineann an tAcht seo de bhua alt 4 nó ordaithe faoi alt 4.
Lacáistí d'fhostóirí as an gCiste Iomarcaíochta.
29.—(1) Faoi réir na Coda seo déanfaidh an tAire suim (dá ngairtear lacáiste sa Chuid seo) ar cóimhéid le leath gach cnapshuime a d'íoc fostóir faoi alt 19 a thabhairt d'íocaíocht as an gCiste Iomarcaíochta don fhostóir sin.
(2) Aon fhostóir a thabharfaidh cóip d'fhógra don Aire faoi alt 17 ar dháta trí sheachtain nó níos mó roimh dháta an bhriste beidh sé i dteideal lacáiste ar cóimhéid le leath na cnapshuime a bheidh i gceist móide 2½faoin gcéad den chnapshuim in aghaidh gach seachtain a bheidh an fógra tugtha de bhreis ar an tréimhse is gá de réir alt 17; ar choinníoll nach mbeidh lacáiste níos mó in aon chás ná suim ar cóimhéid le 65 faoin gcéad den chnapshuim iomchuí a d'íoc an fostóir faoi alt 19.
(3) D'ainneoin fo-alt (1), aon uair a mhainneoidh fostóir aon fhoráil d'alt 17 a chomhlíonadh, féadfaidh an tAire, dá rogha féin, méid an lacáiste is iníoctha i leith na cnapshuime a íocadh faoi alt 19 leis an bhfostóir sin a laghdú: ar choinníoll nach mbeidh méid an lacáiste, nuair a laghdófar amhlaidh é, níos lú ná 40 faoin gcéad de mhéid na cnapshuime.
(4) Más rud é, i gcás lena mbaineann alt 32 (1) (a), go dtabharfaidh an tAire íocaíocht faoin alt sin d'fhostaí agus gur dóigh leis an Aire gur gan chúis réasúnach a dhiúltaigh nó a mhainnigh an fostóir, féadfaidh an tAire an lacáiste a choimeád siar a mbeadh teideal, mura mbeadh sin, ag an bhfostóir sin chuige nó méid an lacáiste sin a laghdú a mhéid is iomchuí leis an Aire.
Íocaíochtaí seachtainiúla le fostaithe as an gCiste Iomarcaíochta.
30.—(1) Ar é a bhriseadh mar gheall ar iomarcaíocht nó ar é d'fhoirceannadh a chonradh fostaíochta de réir alt 12 (2), beidh, faoi réir an Achta seo, fostaí atá i dteideal íocaíochta iomarcaíochta i dteideal íocaíochta seachtainiúla (dá ngairtear íocaíocht sheachtainiúil san Acht seo) as an gCiste Iomarcaíochta.
(2) Bainfidh forálacha Sceideal 1 le híocaíocht sheachtainiúil.
(3) Féadfaidh an tAire le hordú Sceideal 1 a leasú.
Rialacháin maidir le teideal chun íocaíochta seachtainiúla agus chun liúntais faoin Acht Oiliúna Tionscail, 1967.
31.—(1) Féadfaidh an tAire le rialacháin socrú a dhéanamh, maidir le cásanna ina bhfuil duine i dteideal liúntais faoi alt 9 (1) (g) den Acht Oiliúna Tionscail, 1967, agus íocaíochta seachtainiúla, chun méid an liúntais sin nó méid na híocaíochta seachtainiúla sin a choigeartú.
(2) D'ainneoin aon fhorála eile atá san Acht seo, féadfaidh rialacháin faoin alt seo a fhoráil nach mbeidh duine lena mbaineann na rialacháin i dteideal íocaíochta seachtainiúla ar aon chor nó in aghaidh tréimhse sonraithe.
Íocaíochtaí eile d'fhostaithe as an gCiste Iomarcaíochta.
1887, c. 57.
32.—(1) Nuair a éileoidh fostaí go ndlíonn fostóir cnapshuim a íoc leis faoi alt 19 agus —
(a) go bhfuil gach beart réasúnach (seachas imeachtaí dlíthiúla) déanta ag an bhfostaí chun íoc na cnapshuime a fháil ón bhfostóir agus gur dhiúltaigh nó gur mhainnigh an fostóir í a íoc nó gur íoc sé cuid di agus gur dhiúltaigh nó gur mhainnigh sé an iarmhéid a íoc, nó
(b) go bhfuil an fostóir dócmhainneach agus go bhfuil iomlán na cnapshuime nó cuid di gan íoc,
féadfaidh an fostaí íocaíocht faoin alt seo a iarraidh ar an Aire.
(2) Más deimhin leis an Aire ar iarratas faoin alt seo go bhfuil an fostaí i dteideal cnapshuime faoi alt 19 a bhfuil a hiomlán nó cuid di gan íoc, íocfaidh an tAire leis an bhfostaí as an gCiste Iomarcaíochta an méid sin den chnapshuim atá gan íoc.
(3) Ar an Aire d'íoc íocaíochta faoin alt seo beidh, air sin, cearta agus leigheasanna uile an fhostaí i leith na cnapshuime a bheidh i gceist, nó, má bhíonn an tAire tar éis cuid di a íoc, i leith na coda sin, arna n-aistriú chun an Aire agus arna ndílsiú dó agus íocfar isteach sa Chiste Iomarcaíochta aon airgead a ghnóthóidh an tAire de bhua an fho-ailt seo; ar choinníoll, áfach, go mbeidh an tAire, má bhíonn fostóir dócmhainneach, i dteideal éileamh a dhéanamh san fhéimheacht, sa chomhshocraíocht, i riaradh an eastáit dhócmhainnigh nó san fhoirceannadh (de réir mar a bheidh) i leith, agus amháin i leith, suime (más ann) ar cóimhéid le méid na híocaíochta a d'íoc an tAire faoin alt seo lúide méid an lacáiste ab iníoctha leis an bhfostóir as an gCiste Iomarcaíochta faoi alt 29 dá mbeadh an fostóir tar éis an chnapshuim a íoc leis an bhfostaí.
(4) Chun críche an ailt seo measfar fostóir a bheith dócmhainneach—
(a) má tá an fostóir breithnithe ina fhéimheach, tar éis achainí ar chomhshocraíocht a chomhadú nó tar éis gníomhas comhshocraíochta a fhorghníomhú (de réir bhrí alt 4 den Deeds of Arrangement Act, 1887),
(b) go bhfuil an fostóir tar éis bháis agus go bhfuil a eastát, agus é dócmhainneach, á riaradh de réir na rialacha atá leagtha amach i gCuid I den Chéad Sceideal a ghabhann leis an Acht Comharbais, 1965, nó
(c) más cuideachta an fostóir, agus go bhfuil an chuideachta dócmhainneach agus á foirceannadh.
Rialacháin maidir le híoc ranníocaí.
1879, c. 58.
33.—(1) Féadfaidh an tAire rialacháin a dhéanamh do dhéanamh socrú le haghaidh aon ábhair a bhaineann le híoc agus bailiú ranníocaí faoin gCuid seo agus go háirithe le haghaidh—
(a) ranníocaí a íoc trí stampaí greamaitheacha (ar a dtabharfar stampaí iomarcaíochta) a ghreamófar de chártaí (ar a dtabharfar cártaí iomarcaíochta) ná ar shlí eile, agus le haghaidh an modh agus na tráthanna a ngreamófar, agus na coinníollacha faoina ngreamófar stampaí iomarcaíochta nó a ndéanfar nó faoina ndéanfar íocaíochtaí ar shlí eile;
(b) cártaí iomarcaíochta a eisiúint, a choimeád, a thabhairt ar aird, agus a fhorghéilleadh, agus cártaí iomarcaíochta a thabhairt in ionad cártaí iomarcaíochta a cailleadh, a díthíodh, nó a aghloiteadh;
(c) déileáil, chun críche aon chirt faoin Acht seo, le ranníocaí a íocadh tar éis na dátaí dlite mar ranníocaí a íocadh ar na dátaí dlite nó ar cibé dáta níos déanaí ná iad a fhorordófar, nó mar ranníocaí nár íocadh;
(d) ranníocaí a ghnóthú ar ionchúisimh faoin Acht seo (gan dochar d'aon leigheas eile);
(e) aon suimeanna a íocadh d'earráid ar mhodh ranníocaí a thabhairt ar ais faoi réir aon choinníollacha, sriantachtaí agus asbhaintí a shonrófar sna rialacháin.
(2) Féadfar rialacháin a dhéanamh faoin alt seo chun socrú a dhéanamh le haghaidh ranníocaí a íoc ar mhodh seachas stampaí iomarcaíochta, agus féadfaidh na rialacháin sin socrú a dhéanamh le haghaidh cionta agus chun go ngnóthófar, ar chiontú achomair i gcionta den sórt sin, fíneálacha nach mó ná méideanna sonracha nach mó ná caoga punt, agus ina dteannta sin, i gcás cionta leanúnacha, fíneálacha breise den sórt sin in aghaidh gach lae de na laethanta a leanfar de na cionta.
(3) Féadfaidh rialacháin faoin alt seo socrú a dhéanamh le haghaidh ranníocaí a íoc, de rogha an duine a dhlífidh iad a íoc, ar mhodh (dá ngairtear an modh eile anseo feasta) seachas an modh a luaitear i bhfo-alt (1) nó (2), agus, má chuireann an modh eile níos mó costais riaracháin ar aon ranna Stáit ná a thabhófaí dá n-íocfaí na ranníocaí ar an modh a bheidh forordaithe i rialacháin faoi fho-alt (1) nó (2), féadfaidh socrú a bheith sna rialacháin faoin bhfo-alt seo le haghaidh aon duine a ghlacfaidh leis an modh eile d'íoc, agus le haghaidh an tAire do ghnóthú, táillí forordaithe.
(4) Ní bheidh feidhm ag an Public Offices Fees Act, 1879, maidir leis na táillí dá dtagraítear i bhfo-alt (3) agus déanfar na táillí go léir den sórt sin a bhailiú agus a thógáil mar a ordóidh an tAire Airgeadais ó am go ham agus a íoc isteach sa Státchiste nó a chur chun tairbhe don Státchiste i cibé slí a ordóidh an tAire sin.
Stampaí iomarcaíochta a ullmhú agus a eisiúint, etc.
1890, c. 21.
1891, c. 38.
1891, c. 39.
1908, c. 48.
34.—(1) Faoi réir fho-alt (2), ullmhófar agus eiseofar stampaí iomarcaíochta i cibé slí a ordóidh na Coimisinéirí Ioncaim le toiliú an Aire Airgeadais, agus féadfaidh na Coimisinéirí sin, le rialacháin a dhéanfaidh siad, socrú a dhéanamh chun gach ceann nó aon cheann d'fhorálacha (lena n-áirítear pianfhorálacha) na n-achtachán seo a leanas a chur chun feidhme, leis na hoiriúnuithe is gá,—
Ailt 21, 35 agus 36 den Inland Revenue Regulations Act, 1890, an Stamp Duties Management Act, 1891, alt 9 den Stamp Act, 1891, agus alt 65 den Post Office Act, 1908,
agus féadfaidh, le toiliú an Aire Poist agus Telegrafa, socrú a dhéanamh le haghaidh stampaí iomarcaíochta a dhíol trí Oifig an Phoist.
(2) Féadfaidh an Rialtas le hordú a shocrú go ndéanfaidh an tAire Poist agus Telegrafa aon cheann de chumhachtaí agus dualgais na gCoimisinéirí Ioncaim i ndáil le stampaí iomarcaíochta a fheidhmiú agus a chomhlíonadh, d'eisiamh na gCoimisinéirí Ioncaim nó ar aon tráth leis na Coimisinéirí Ioncaim, agus féadfaidh cibé forálacha a bheith san ordú sin is dóigh leis an Rialtas is gá nó is fóirsteanach chun lán-éifeacht a thabhairt d'fheidhmiú agus do chomhlíonadh na ndualgas lena mbaineann an t-ordú sin ar an modh a fhoráiltear leis an ordú sin.
Daoine ar fostú ag níos mó ná fostóir amháin, etc.
35.—(1) Maidir le daoine—
(a) atá ar fostú ag níos mó ná fostóir amháin aon seachtain, nó
(b) a oibríonn faoi rialú nó bainistí ginearálta dhuine éigin seachas a neasfhostóir,
agus maidir le haon chásanna eile ar dóigh leis an Aire gur gá socrú speisialta dóibh, féadfaidh rialacháin a fhoráil go measfar chun críocha an Achta seo gurb é an duine forordaithe a bhfostóir.
(2) Féadfaidh socrú a bheith i rialacháin a dhéanfar maidir le daoine a luaitear i bhfo-alt (1) (b) chun coigeartú a dhéanamh ar na cearta eatarthu féin de chuid an duine atá forordaithe mar fhostóir, an neasfhostóra agus na ndaoine atá ar fostú.
Rialacháin do Chuid III.
36.—(1) Féadfaidh an tAire rialacháin a dhéanamh chun éifeacht a thabhairt don Chuid seo.
(2) Gan dochar do ghinearáltacht fho-alt (1), féadfaidh rialacháin faoin alt seo socrú a dhéanamh maidir le gach ní nó aon ní acu seo a leanas:
(a) a cheangal ar fhostóir atá i dteideal lacáiste é a éileamh agus d'fhorordú an ama nach foláir éileamh den sórt sin a dhéanamh laistigh de;
(b) a cheangal ar fhostóir a bheidh tar éis éileamh a dhéanamh ar lacáiste cibé fianaise agus eolas eile a thabhairt ar aird a fhorordófar agus cibé doiciméid a fhorordófar agus a bheidh i gcoimeád an fhostóra sin nó faoina urláimh a thabhairt ar aird lena scrúdú thar ceann an Aire;
(c) a cheangal, i ndáil le hiarratas chun an Aire faoi alt 32, ar an bhfostóir lena mbaineann cibé doiciméid a fhorordófar agus a bheidh i gcoimeád an fhostóra sin nó faoina urláimh a thabhairt ar aird lena scrúdú thar ceann an Aire;
(d) a cheangal ar fhostaí atá i dteideal íocaíochta seachtainiúla é a éileamh sa tslí fhorordaithe laistigh den am forordaithe agus san áit fhorordaithe;
(e) modh, am agus ionad íoctha íocaíochtaí seachtainiúla a fhorordú.
(3) Aon duine a mhainneoidh rialachán faoi fho-alt (2) (b) nó (2) (c) a chomhlíonadh nó, maidir le rialachán a cheanglaíonn eolas a thabhairt, a thabharfaidh eolas bréagach beidh sé ciontach i gcion agus ar a chiontú go hachomair dlífear fíneáil nach mó ná caoga punt a chur air.
CUID IV
Forálacha Ilghnéitheacha
Oifigigh bhreithiúnachta.
37.—Féadfaidh an tAire cibé daoine agus cibé méid daoine is cuí leis dá oifigigh a cheapadh ina n-oifigigh bhreithiúnachta chun críocha an Achta seo, agus beidh gach duine a cheapfar amhlaidh i seilbh oifige mar oifigeach breithiúnachta an fad is toil leis an Aire é.
Breitheanna oifigeach breithiúnachta.
38.—(1) Faoi réir an Achta seo agus de réir aon rialachán iomchuí, is oifigeach breithiúnachta a chinnfidh gach ceist a éireoidh—
(a) maidir le héileamh ar íocaíocht sheachtainiúil,
(b) i dtaobh duine a bheith dícháilithe chun íocaíochta seachtainiúla,
(c) i dtaobh tréimhse aon dícháiliúcháin chun íocaíochta seachtainiúla,
(d) i dtaobh an bhfuil nó an raibh, nó i dtaobh an ráta ar dá réir atá nó a bhí, ranníoc iomarcaíochta iníoctha ag fostóir i leith fostaí,
(e) i dtaobh cé hé fostóir fostaí, nó
(f) i dtaobh aon ní eile maidir leis an Acht seo a fhorordófar.
(2) Aon tagairt san alt seo do cheist a éireoidh maidir le héileamh ar íocaíocht sheachtainiúil folaíonn sí tagairt do cheist i dtaobh íocaíocht sheachtainiúil a bheith nó gan bheith iníoctha.
An Binse Achomhairc Iomarcaíochta agus achomhairc agus tarchur chuige.
39.—(1) Beidh Binse (ar a dtabharfar an Binse Achomhairc Iomarcaíochta agus dá ngairtear an Binse ina dhiaidh seo san alt seo) ann chun na hachomhairc a chinneadh dá ndéantar socrú san alt seo.
(2) Beidh an Binse comhdhéanta de na comhaltaí seo a leanas—
(a) cathaoirleach arb abhcóide nó aturnae cleachtach é a bhfuil seasamh 7 mbliana ar a laghad aige,
(b) 3 leas-chathaoirleach ar a mhéid, agus
(c) 12 ghnáthchomhalta ar a mhéid.
(3) Is é an tAire a cheapfaidh comhaltaí an Bhinse agus beidh siad inathcheaptha.
(4) An ceapadh de bhun fho-alt (3) ar ghnáthchomhaltaí an Bhinse déanfar é—
(a) maidir le leath na gcomhaltaí sin, is daoine a ainmníodh chuige sin ag eagras atá ionadaitheach do cheard chumainn oibrithe, agus
(b) maidir leis an leath eile de na comhaltaí sin, as daoine a ainmníodh chuige sin ag comhlacht nó comhlachtaí atá ionadaitheach d'fhostóirí.
(5) Is é téarma oifige comhalta den Bhinse cibé tréimhse a shonróidh an tAire nuair a cheapfaidh sé an comhalta sin.
(6) (a) Féadfaidh comhalta den Bhinse, trí litir a bheidh dírithe chun an Aire, éirí as a bheith ina chomhalta.
(b) Féadfaidh an tAire comhalta den Bhinse a chur as oifig.
(7) (a) Aon uair a tharlóidh folúntas i gcomhaltas an Bhinse agus gurb é is cúis leis gnáth-chomhalta a luaitear i bhfo-alt (4) (a) d'éirí as, a chur as oifig nó d'fháil bháis, líonfaidh an tAire an folúntas trí cheapadh mar a shonraítear san fho-alt sin.
(b) Aon uair a tharlóidh folúntas i gcomhaltas an Bhinse agus gurb é is cúis leis gnáth-chomhalta a luaitear i bhfo-alt (4) (b) d'éirí as, a chur as oifig nó d'fháil bháis, líonfaidh an tAire an folúntas trí cheapadh mar a shonraítear san fho-alt sin.
(8) I gcás comhalta den Bhinse a líonfaidh folúntas de dhroim comhalta d'éirí as, a chur as oifig nó d'fháil bháis sula mbeidh téarma oifige an chomhalta sin is déanaí a luaitear caite, beidh an comhalta a líonfaidh an folúntas sin i seilbh oifige ar feadh na coda eile de théarma oifige an chomhalta a d'éirigh as amhlaidh, a fuair bás nó a cuireadh as oifig amhlaidh.
(9) Gníomhóidh leaschathaoirleach don Bhinse mar chathaoirleach ar an mBinse nuair a iarrfaidh an cathaoirleach nó an tAire air é agus beidh cumhachtaí uile an chathaoirligh aige nuair a bheidh sé ag gníomhú amhlaidh.
(10) Íocfar le comhalta den Bhinse cibé luach saothair (más ann) agus liúntais a chinnfidh an tAire le toiliú an Aire Airgeadais.
(11) Aon uair arb é tuairim chathaoirleach an Bhinse gurb oiriúnach, chun gnó an Bhinse a chríochnú go scafánta, go ngníomhódh an Binse ina roinnteáin, féadfaidh sé ordú a thabhairt dá réir sin agus, go dtí go gcúlghairfidh sé an t-ordú sin uaidh, beidh an Binse ina ghrúpaí mar a bheidh ordaithe amhlaidh.
(12) Beidh gach roinnteán den Bhinse comhdhéanta den chathaoirleach nó leaschathaoirleach don Bhinse, gnáthchomhalta den Bhinse a luaitear i bhfo-alt (4) (a) agus gnáthchomhalta den Bhinse a luaitear i bhfo-alt (4) (b).
(13) Féadfaidh an tAire, le toiliú an Aire Airgeadais, cibé oifigigh agus seirbhísigh a cheapadh don Bhinse a mheasfaidh sé is gá chun cabhrú leis an mBinse ag comhlíonadh a fheidhmeanna, agus sealbhóidh na hoifigigh agus na seirbhísigh sin oifig ar cibé téarmaí, agus gheobhaidh siad cibé luach saothair, a chinnfidh an tAire Airgeadais.
(14) Is breith chríochnaitheach dhochloíte breith an Bhinse ar aon cheist a tharchuirfear chuige faoin alt seo, ach amháin go bhféadfaidh aon duine a bheidh míshásta leis an mbreith achomharc a dhéanamh ina choinne chun na hArd-Chúirte ar cheist dlí.
(15) Aon fhostóir a bheidh míshásta le breith ón Aire maidir le lacáiste nó le haon bhreith ó oifigeach breithiúnachta maidir le haon cheist a shonraítear in alt 38 (1) (d), 38 (1) (e) nó 38 (1) (f), nó aon fhostaí a bheidh míshásta le breith ó oifigeach breithiúnachta faoi alt 38 nó le haon bhreith ó fhostóir faoin Acht seo féadfaidh sé, ar fhógra achomhairc a thabhairt sa mhodh forordaithe don Aire, a thabhairt go dtarchuirfear an cheist chun an Bhinse chun breith a thabhairt uirthi; ar choinníoll, áfach, nach mbeidh an Binse inniúil a bhreithniú an bhfuil nó nach bhfuil nó an raibh nó nach raibh an fostaí, an tráth ábhartha, i bhfostaíocht atá nó a bhí inárachaithe le haghaidh na sochar go léir faoi na hAchtanna Leasa Shóisialaigh, 1952 go 1966.
(16) Féadfaidh oifigeach breithiúnachta más cuí leis, in ionad breith a thabhairt uirthi é féin, aon cheist a bheidh le breithniú aige faoi alt 38 a tharchur sa tslí fhorordaithe chun an Bhinse chun breith a thabhairt uirthi.
(17) (a) Beidh cumhacht ag an mBinse, nuair a bheidh aon ábhar a tharchuirfear chuige faoin alt seo á éisteacht, fianaise a ghlacadh faoi mhionn agus chuige sin féadfaidh a chur faoi deara daoine a fhreastalóidh mar fhinnéithe ag éisteacht den sórt sin a chur faoi mhionn.
(b) Aon duine a dhéanfaidh, agus é á scrúdú faoi mhionn a bheidh údaraithe faoin bhfo-alt seo, fianaise bhreágach a thabhairt go toiliúil éillitheach nó aon ní bréagach a mhionnú go toiliúil éillitheach agus a chiontófar ann dlífear na pionóis mar gheall ar mhionnú éithigh toiliúil éillitheach a chur air.
(c) Féadfaidh an Binse, trí fhógra chuige sin a thabhairt i scríbhinn d'aon duine, a cheangal ar an duine sin freastal cibé tráth agus i cibé áit a shonrófar san fhógra chun fianaise a thabhairt maidir le haon ábhar a tarchuireadh chun an Bhinse faoin alt seo nó aon doiciméid a thabhairt ar aird a bheidh ina sheilbh, ina choimeád nó faoina urláimh agus a bhainfidh le haon ábhar den sórt sin.
(d) Féadfar fógra faoi mhír (c) a thabhairt trína sheachadadh don duine lena mbainfidh sé nó trína chur leis an bpost i litir chláraithe réamhíoctha a dhíreofar chun an duine sin ag an seoladh ag a bhfuil gnáthchónaí air.
(e) Aon duine a mbeidh fógra faoi mhír (c) tugtha dó agus a dhiúltóidh nó a fhailleoidh go toiliúil freastal de réir an fhógra nó, agus é ag freastal amhlaidh, a dhiúltóidh fianaise a thabhairt nó a dhiúltóidh nó a mhainneoidh go toiliúil aon doiciméad a thabhairt ar aird lena mbainfidh an fógra beidh sé ciontach i gcion agus ar a chiontú ann go hachomair dlífear fíneáil nach mó ná fiche punt a chur air.
(18) Cuirfidh an Binse tuarascáil bhliantúil chun an Aire agus foilseofar an tuarascáil sin.
(19) Féadfaidh an tAire rialacháin a dhéanamh do thabhairt éifeachta don alt seo agus féadfaidh na rialacháin sin, go háirithe agus gan dochar do ghinearáltacht an mhéid sin roimhe seo, socrú a dhéanamh le haghaidh gach ní nó aon ní acu seo a leanas—
(a) an nós imeachta a leanfar maidir le hachomhairc chun an Bhinse,
(b) tráthanna agus ionaid éisteachta an Bhinse,
(c) ionadaíocht páirtithe a fhreastalóidh ag éisteachtaí an Bhinse,
(d) nós imeachta maidir le héisteacht achomharc ag an mBinse,
(e) breitheanna an Bhinse a fhoilsiú agus a fhógairt,
(f) fógraí maidir le hachomhairc nó éisteachtaí ag an mBinse,
(g) an Binse do dhámhadh costas agus caiteachas agus dámhachtana den sórt sin a íoc,
(h) séala oifigiúil an Bhinse,
(i) déileáil leis an Aire mar pháirtí in aon imeachtaí os comhair an Bhinse i gcás nár pháirtí é iontu mura mbeadh sin agus teideal a thabhairt dó láithriú agus éisteacht a fháil dá réir sin.
Tarchur agus achomharc chun na hArd-Chúirte.
40.—I gcás ina ndéanfar aon cheist, seachas ceist a shonraítear in alt 38 (1) (a), 38 (1) (b) nó 38 (1) (c), a tharchur chun an Bhinse—
(a) féadfaidh an tAire, ar an mBinse á iarraidh sin, an cheist a tharchur chun na hArd-Chúirte chun breith a thabhairt uirthi, agus
(b) má thugann an Binse breith ar an gceist, féadfaidh aon duine a bheidh míshásta leis an mbreith achomharc a dhéanamh ina haghaidh chun na hArd-Chúirte ar aon cheist dlí.
Breitheanna a athscrúdú.
41.—(1) Féadfaidh oifigeach breithiúnachta, am ar bith agus ó am go ham, aon bhreith a thug oifigeach breithiúnachta a athscrúdú má fheictear dó an bhreith a bheith earráideach ag féachaint d'fhianaise nua nó d'fhíorais nua a cuireadh in iúl dó ón dáta a tugadh an bhreith nó mar gheall ar dhearmad éigin a bheith déanta maidir leis an dlí nó na fíorais, nó má fheictear dó, i gcás inarbh iníoctha íocaíocht sheachtainiúil, aon athrú ábhartha a bheith tagtha ar na himthosca ó tugadh an bhreith, agus beidh feidhm maidir leis an mbreith athscrúdaithe sin ag forálacha an Achta seo a bhaineann le hachomhairc mar atá feidhm acu maidir le breith bhunaidh.
(2) Ní bheidh feidhm ag fo-alt (1) maidir le breith a bhaineann le hábhar atá ar achomharc nó ar tarchur faoi alt 39, mura mbeadh an bhreith athscrúdaithe i bhfabhar éilitheora íocaíochta seachtainiúla.
(3) Beidh éifeacht mar a leanas ag breith athscrúdaithe ó oifigeach breithiúnachta—
(a) i gcás ina ndéanfar, de bhua an bhreith athscrúdaithe a dhícheadú nó a laghdú agus an bhreith athscrúdaithe a thabhairt toisc an bhreith bhunaidh a thabhairt, nó a leanúint de bheith in éifeacht, mar gheall ar aon ráiteas nó uiríoll (scríofa nó ó bhéal) a bhí, go bhfios don duine a rinne é, bréagach nó míthreorach i bponc ábhartha nó mar gheall ar aon fhíoras ábhartha a cheilt go toiliúil, beidh éifeacht aici amhail ón dáta a tháinig an bhreith bhunaidh in éifeacht, ach, más íocaíocht iomarcaíochta i bhfoirm íocaíochta tréimhsiúla í, féadfaidh an bhreith bhunaidh, más rogha leis an oifigeach breithiúnachta é, leanúint d'fheidhm a bheith aici maidir le haon tréimhse lena mbaineann an bhreith bhunaidh sin agus nach mbaineann an ráiteas nó an t-uiríoll bréagach nó míthreorach sin nó an cheilt thoiliúil sin ar aon fhíoras ábhartha léi;
(b) in aon chás eile, beidh éifeacht aici amhail ón dáta is iomchuí leis an oifigeach breithiúnachta, ach ní dhéanfaidh sí difear d'aon íocaíocht a bheidh déanta cheana féin ar dháta an athscrúdaithe.
(4) Féadfaidh rialacháin socrú a dhéanamh chun go measfar aon íocaíocht iomarcaíochta a íocadh le fostaí faoi bhreith ó oifigeach breithiúnachta, agus a mbreithneofar dá éis sin nárbh iníoctha í, a bheith arna híoc ar cuntas aon íocaíochta iomarcaíochta eile a mbreithneofar gurbh iníoctha í leis an bhfostaí sin nó chun aon íocaíochta den sórt sin a aisíoc agus í a aisghabháil trí asbhaint nó ar shlí eile.
(5) Aon tagairt atá san Acht seo d'athscrúdú folaíonn sí tagairt d'athscrúdú ina ndéantar freaschur.
Forálacha a bhaineann le foirceannadh agus féimheacht.
1889, c. 60.
1872, c. 58.
42.—(1) Beidh ar áireamh na bhfiacha a bheidh, faoi alt 285 d'Acht na gCuideachtaí, 1963, le híoc, le linn sócmhainní cuideachta atá á foirceannadh a bheith á ndáileadh, i dtosaíocht ar gach fiach eile, na ranníocaí go léir ab iníoctha ag an gcuideachta faoin Acht seo i gcaitheamh an dá mhí dhéag sular tosaíodh ar an bhfoirceannadh nó roimh thosach feidhme an ordaithe foirceannta, agus beidh éifeacht ag an Acht sin dá réir sin, agus ní dhéanfar cruthú foirmiúil ar na fiacha dá dtugtar tosaíocht faoin bhfo-alt seo a éileamh ach amháin i gcásanna a bhforáiltear a mhalairt le rialacha a rinneadh faoin Acht sin.
(2) Ní bheidh feidhm ag fo-alt (1) ach amháin i gcás inar chun í a athchóiriú nó í a chónascadh le cuideachta eile atá an chuideachta á foirceannadh go toilteanach.
(3) Beidh ar áireamh na bhfiacha a bheidh, faoi alt 4 den Preferential Payments in Bankruptcy (Ireland) Act, 1889, le híoc, le linn maoin féimhigh nó féichiúnaigh chomhshocraíochta a bheith á dáileadh, i dtosaíocht ar gach fiach eile, na ranníocaí go léir ab iníoctha faoin Acht seo ag an bhféimheach nó an féichiúnaí comhshocraíochta i gcaitheamh an dá mhí dhéag roimh dháta an ordaithe bhreithnithe i gcás féimhigh nó dháta an achainí ar chomhshocraíocht a chomhadú i gcás féichiúnaí chomhshocraíochta, agus beidh éifeacht ag an Acht sin dá réir sin, agus ní dhéanfar cruthú foirmiúil ar na fiacha dá dtugtar tosaíocht faoin bhfo-alt seo a éileamh ach amháin i gcásanna a bhforáiltear a mhalairt le horduithe ginearálta a rinneadh faoin Acht sin.
(4) Beidh gach sannadh nó muirearú íocaíochta seachtainiúla, agus gach comhaontú chun íocaíocht sheachtainiúil a shannadh nó a mhuirearú, ar neamhní agus i gcás aon duine atá i dteideal íocaíochta seachtainiúla a fhéimheadh ní aistreoidh an íocaíocht sheachtainiúil chun an tsannaí oifigiúil i bhféimheacht ná chun aon iontaobhaí nó duine eile a bheidh ag gníomhú thar ceann na gcreidiúnaithe.
(5) Ní bheidh feidhm ag aon ní in alt 53 den Bankruptcy (Ireland) Amendment Act, 1872, nó in alt 286 d'Acht na gCuideachtaí, 1963, maidir le haon íocaíochtaí iomarcaíochta ag fostóir.
Suimeanna a bheidh dlite don Chiste Iomarcaíochta a ghnóthú.
43.—Beidh an t-airgead go léir a bheidh dlite don Chiste Iomarcaíochta inghnóthaithe mar fhiacha atá dlite don Stát agus, gan dochar d'aon leigheas eile, féadfaidh an tAire é a ghnóthú mar fhiach faoi reacht in aon chúirt dlínse inniúla.
Feidhm alt 52 d'Acht 1952.
44.—Beidh feidhm ag alt 52 (seachas fo-ailt (4) agus (6) de) d'Acht 1952 maidir le ranníocaí iomarcaíochta, cártaí iomarcaíochta agus stampaí iomarcaíochta, agus maidir le sochar faoin Acht seo, mar atá feidhm aige maidir le cártaí, stampaí, sochair, ranníocaí agus íocaíochtaí eile faoi Acht 1952.
Feidhm alt 53 d'Acht 1952.
45.—Beidh feidhm ag alt 53 d'Acht 1952 maidir le cionta faoin Acht seo nó faoi rialacháin faoin Acht seo mar atá feidhm aige maidir le cionta faoi Acht 1952 nó maidir le cionta faoi rialacháin faoin Acht sin, ach amháin go ndéanfar san fheidhmiú sin tagairt san alt sin 53 don Aire Leasa Shóisialaigh a fhorléiriú mar thagairt don Aire.
Cúnamh do dhaoine a athróidh áit chónaithe.
46.—(1) Féadfaidh an tAire, d'fhonn a theacht ar an gcéim soghluaiseacht gheografach lucht saothair is inmhianaithe, dar leis, ar mhaithe le beartas eacnamaíochta náisiúnta a chothú, rialacháin a dhéanamh, le toiliú an Aire Airgeadais, do dhéanamh socrú le haghaidh cúnamh airgeadais do dhaoine dífhostaithe nó do dhaoine a bhfuiltear ar tí a dhearbhú go bhfuil siad iomarcach agus a bhfuil orthu a ngnáth-áit chónaithe a athrú chun dul i mbun fostaíochta a bheidh tairgthe nó ceadaithe ag an tSeirbhís Fostaíochta.
(2) Gan dochar do ghinearáltacht fho-alt (1), féadfaidh rialacháin faoin alt seo—
(a) socrú a dhéanamh le haghaidh costais iompair (lena n-áirítear earraí tí a iompar) de dhroim áit chónaithe a athrú, a íoc nó a shlánú go hiomlán nó go páirteach agus le haghaidh liúntais i leith lóistín, agus
(b) coinníollacha, teorainneacha ama agus teorainneacha airgeadais a fhorchur i leith aon airgead is iníoctha faoi na rialacháin.
(3) D'ainneoin aon ní in alt 4, féadfaidh rialacháin faoin alt seo baint a bheith acu le hoibrithe d'aicme a eisiatar ón Acht seo leis an alt sin 4.
Scéimeanna iomarcaíochta speisialta d'fhostaithe atá eisiata ón Acht.
47.—(1) Féadfaidh an tAire, i leith aicme fostaí atá eisiata ón Acht seo le halt 4 nó le hordú arna dhéanamh faoi alt 4, agus tar éis dul i gcomhairle le hionadaithe fostóirí ag a bhfuil leas sa chineál oibre a bhíonn á dhéanamh de ghnáth ag fostaithe den aicme sin agus le hionadaithe fostaithe ag a bhfuil an leas céanna, scéim (dá ngairtear scéim iomarcaíochta speisialta san Acht seo) a ullmhú agus a chur i bhfeidhm do dhéanamh socrú de réir téarmaí na scéime iomarcaíochta speisialta le haghaidh íocaíochta iomarcaíochta d'fhostaithe den aicme sin.
(2) Aon uair a bheidh an tAire tar éis scéim iomarcaíochta speisialta a ullmhú déanfaidh sé, a luaithe is oiriúnach leis tar éis an t-ullmhú sin, ordú do dhéanamh socrú chun an scéim iomarcaíochta speisialta sin a chur in éifeacht ar dháta sonraithe, agus cuirfear an scéim sin in éifeacht amhlaidh ón dáta sin.
Socrú d'oifigigh agus do sheirbhísigh Chóras Iompair Éireann agus Óstlanna Iompair Éireann Teoranta.
48.—(1) Ní bhainfidh alt 9 den Acht Iompair, 1964, le duine a thiocfaidh, tar éis tosach feidhme an Achta seo, chun bheith ina oifigeach nó ina sheirbhíseach don Bhord mura raibh an duine sin, nó, mura mbeadh an duine sin mura mbeadh fothbhearnú ar a fhostaíocht, ina oifigeach nó ina sheirbhíseach don Bhord i dtosach feidhme an Achta seo agus go leanann sé air de bheith ina oifigeach nó ina sheirbhíseach don Bhord cé is moite d'fhothbhearnaí fostaíochta.
(2) I gcás duine a bheith, roimh thosach feidhme an Achta seo, ag fáil chúitimh faoi alt 9 den Acht Iompair, 1964, ní oibreoidh fo-alt (1) chun a chirt chun an chúitimh sin a laghdú.
(3) I gcás duine a theacht, ar dháta tosach feidhme an Achta seo nó dá éis sin, chun bheith i dteideal cúitimh faoi alt 9 (4) den Acht Iompair, 1964, de dhroim a fhostaíocht faoin mBord nó faoin gCuideachta a fhoirceannadh, beidh sé, d'ainneoin aon fhorála eile den Acht seo, dícháilithe, amhail ar agus ó dháta a theacht i dteideal amhlaidh, chun íocaíochta iomarcaíochta i leith na fostaíochta sin agus déanfar na ranníocaí go léir faoin Acht seo a íocadh i leith an duine mar fhostaí don Bhord nó don Chuideachta a aisíoc leis an duine a d'íoc na ranníocaí sin.
(4) San alt seo—
ciallaíonn “an Bord” Córas Iompair Éireann;
ciallaíonn “an Chuideachta” Óstlanna Iompair Éireann Teoranta.
Cumhacht chun modhnú nó foirceannadh a dhéanamh ar scéimeanna agus comhshocraíochtaí láithreacha chun íocaíochtaí aoisliúntais agus iomarcaíochta a sholáthar.
49.—Féadfar aon scéim nó comhshocraíocht chun pinsin, cúitimh i leith iomarcaíochta nó sochair eile a sholáthar (lena n-áirítear aon scéim nó comhshocraíocht a bunaíodh nó a soláthraíodh de bhun nó faoi réim, nó ag a bhfuil feidhm reachtúil de bhua, aon achtacháin agus aon scéime nach bhfuil d'fhianaise léi ach polasaí nó polasaithe árachais) a mhodhnú, nó a fhoirceannadh, i ndáil le scéim a bhunú faoin Acht seo chun íocaíochtaí iomarcaíochta a sholáthar trí chomhaontú idir na páirtithe lena mbaineann sa scéim nó sa chomhshocraíocht.
Feidhm an Probation of Offenders Act, 1907.
1907, c. 17.
50.—I gcás ina gcúiseofar fostóir i gcion a bhaineann le ranníocaí iomarcaíochta, ní dhéanfaidh an chúirt ordú faoi alt 1 (1) den Probation of Offenders Act, 1907, go dtí gur deimhin léi go bhfuil na riaráistí go léir i leith na ranníocaí íoctha ag an bhfostóir.
Eisiamh airbheartaithe ar fhorálacha an Achta seo ar neamhní.
51.—Beidh aon fhoráil i gcomhaontú (cibé acu conradh fostaíochta é nó nach ea) ar neamhní a mhéid a airbheartaíonn sí oibriú aon fhorála den Acht seo a eisiamh nó a theorainniú.
Cionta ag comhlachtaí corpraithe.
52.—I gcás cion faoin Acht seo a dhéanamh ag comhlacht corpraithe agus go gcruthófar go ndearnadh é le toiliú nó le cúlcheadú, nó é a bheith inchurtha i leith aon fhaillí ar thaobh, aon stiúrthóra, bainisteora, rúnaí nó oifigigh eile de chuid an chomhlachta chorpraithe nó aon duine a d'airbheartaigh a bheith ag gníomhú in aon fheidhmeannas den sórt sin beidh sé féin agus an comhlacht corpraithe ciontach sa chion sin agus dlífidh siad imeachtaí a thionscnamh ina gcoinne agus iad a phionósú dá réir sin.
Forálacha maidir le fógraí.
53.—(1) Aon fhógra a cheanglaítear ar fhostóir, nó a údaraítear dó, faoin Acht seo a thabhairt d'fhostaí, féadfar é a thabhairt trína sheachadadh don fhostaí, nó a fhágáil dó san áit chónaithe is déanaí is eol a bheith aige, nó é a chur leis an bpost chuige faoi sheoladh na háite sin.
(2) Aon fhógra a cheanglaítear ar fhostaí, nó a údaraítear dó, faoin Acht seo a thabhairt d'fhostóir, féadfaidh an fostaí féin nó duine a bheidh údaraithe aige gníomhú thar a cheann é a thabhairt, agus, cibé acu a thabharfar é ag an bhfostaí féin nó thar a cheann,—
(a) féadfar é a thabhairt trína sheachadadh don fhostóir, nó trína chur leis an bpost chuige faoi sheoladh na háite ina bhfuil nó ina raibh an fostaí ar fostú aige, nó
(b) má bhíonn comhshocraíochtaí chu ge déanta ag an bhfostóir, féadfar é a thabhairt trína sheachadadh do dhuine a bheidh ainmnithe ag an bhfostóir de bhun na gcomhshocraíochtaí, nó trína fhágáil do dhuine den sórt sin in áit a bheidh ainmnithe amhlaidh, nó trína chur leis an bpost chuig duine den sórt sin ag seoladh a bheidh ainmnithe amhlaidh.
(3) San alt seo déanfar tagairt d'fhógra a sheachadadh a fhorléiriú, maidir le fógra nach gceanglaíonn an tAcht seo é a bheith i scríbhinn, mar thagairt a fholaíonn tagairt don fhógra a thabhairt de bhriathra béil.
(4) Aon fhógra a fhágfar, de réir an ailt seo, do dhuine in áit dá dtagraítear san alt seo, toimhdeofar, mura gcruthófar a mhalairt, go bhfuair sé é an lá a fágadh an fógra sin ansin.
(5) Ní fhorléireofar aon ní i bhfo-alt (1) nó (2) mar ní a dhéanann difear d'inniúlacht fostóra gníomhú trí sheirbhíseach nó gníomhaire chun críocha aon fhorála (lena n-áirítear ceachtar de na fo-ailt sin) den Acht seo.
Deimhniú ar bhreith a thug oifigeach breithiúnachta.
54.—Aon doiciméad a airbheartóidh a bheith ina dheimhniú ar bhreith a thug oifigeach breithiúnachta de bhun an Achta seo nó de bhun rialachán, agus a bheidh sínithe aige, beidh sé ina fhianaise prima facie gur tugadh an bhreith sin, agus ar a téarmaí, gan cruthúnas ar shíniú an oifigigh sin ná ar a fheidhmeannas oifigiúil.
Cumhacht chun deacrachtaí a chur ar ceal.
55.—(1) Má éiríonn aon deacracht in aon slí i ndáil leis an Acht seo, nó aon leasú nó aisghairm a dhéantar leis an Acht seo, a chur i ngníomh, féadfaidh an tAire, le hordú, aon ní a dhéanamh is dealraitheach is gá nó is fóirsteanach chun an tAcht seo a chur i ngníomh, agus féadfaidh aon ordú den sórt sin modhnú a dhéanamh ar aon fhoráil den Acht seo is dealraitheach is gá nó is fóirsteanach chun an t-ordú a chur in éifeacht.
(2) Gach ordú a dhéanfaidh an tAire faoin alt seo leagfar é faoi bhráid gach Tí den Oireachtas a luaithe is féidir tar éis a dhéanta, agus má dhéanann ceachtar Teach den Oireachtas, laistigh den lá is fiche a shuífidh an Teach sin tar éis an t-ordú a leagan faoina bhráid, rún a rith ag neamhniú an ordaithe sin, beidh an t-ordú ar neamhní dá réir sin, ach sin gan dochar do bhailíocht aon ní a rinneadh roimhe sin faoin ordú.
(3) Ní fhéadfar aon ordú a dhéanamh faoin alt seo tar éis bliain a bheith caite ó thosach feidhme an Achta seo.
Caiteachais an Aire.
56.—(1) Déanfar aon chaiteachais a thabhóidh an tAire nó aon Aire eile ag cur an Achta seo in éifeacht a íoc, a mhéid a cheadóidh an tAire Airgeadais, as airgead a sholáthróidh an tOireachtas.
(2) Íocfar leis an Aire Airgeadais as an gCiste Iomarcaíochta, cibé tráthanna agus i cibé slí a ordóidh an tAire Airgeadais, cibé suimeanna a measfaidh an tAire, ar cibé foras ar a gcomhaontóidh sé féin agus an tAire Airgeadais, gurb iad cuid an Aire, nó cuid aon Aire eile, iad de na caiteachais sin ag cur alt 39 in éifeacht, agus déanfar aon suimeanna a íocfar amhlaidh a leithreasú i gcabhair ar airgead a sholáthróidh an tOireachtas chun an tAcht seo a chur in éifeacht.
(3) Nuair a bheidh caiteachais á meas chun críocha fho-alt (2), cuirfear san áireamh cibé méid is dóigh leis an Aire Airgeadais is ionann agus méid an dliteanais atá ag faibhriú i leith aon aoisliúntas nó liúntas scoir eile nó aon chnapshuimeanna nó aiscí atá ag faibhriú i leith fostaíocht aon oifigigh nó duine eile chun críocha an Achta seo.
Rialacháin maidir le taifid a choimeád, eolas a thabhairt agus taifid a scrúdú.
57.—D'fhonn a áirithiú go gcuirfear an tAcht seo i ngníomh go héifeachtúil, féadfaidh an tAire rialacháin a dhéanamh do dhéanamh socrú chun fostóirí do choimeád taifead agus do thabhairt eolais agus oifigigh údaraithe don Aire do scrúdú taifead nó doiciméad eile a bheidh faoina gcoimeád nó faoina n-urláimh ag fostóirí.
Rialacháin do dhéanamh socrú le haghaidh cionta.
58.—Féadfaidh an tAire le rialacháin socrú a dhéanamh le haghaidh cionta is sáruithe nó neamhchomhlíonadh ar fhoráil den Acht seo nó is sáruithe nó neamhchomhlíonadh ar rialacháin faoin Acht seo agus, ar chiontú i gcionta den sórt sin, le haghaidh fíneálacha a ghnóthú nach mó ná méideanna sonraithe nach mó ná deich bpunt, mar aon le, i gcás cionta leanúnacha, fíneálacha breise den sórt sin in aghaidh gach lae de na laethanta a leanfar de na cionta.
SCEIDEAL I
Íocaíochtaí Seachtainiúla as an gCiste Iomarcaíochta
1. Faoi réir mhír 2, beidh méid íocaíochta seachtainiúla comhionann le 50 faoin gcéad de ghnáth-luach saothair seachtainiúil an fhostaí.
2. An méid iomlán a bheidh á íoc le duine i seachtain ina leith seo a leanas—
íocaíocht sheachtainiúil, sochar dífhostaíochta faoi na hAchtanna Leasa Shóisialaigh, 1952 to 1966, sochar mí chumais faoi na hAchtanna sin, liúntas máithreachais faoi na hAchtanna sin, cúnamh dífhostaíochta faoi na hAchtanna um Chúnamh Dífhostaíochta, 1933 go 1966,
ní bheidh sé níos mó ná 90 faoin gcéad de ghnáth-luach saothair seachtainiúil an duine sin; ar choinníoll nach bhfaighidh duine méid i leith sochair dhífhostaíochta, sochair mhíchumais, liúntais mháithreachais, nó cúnaimh dhífhostaíochta is lú ná an méid a mbeadh teideal ag an duine sin chuige mura mbeadh an tAcht seo.
3. Faoi réir mhír 2, déanfar, i gcás duine atá i dteideal sochair dhífhostaíochta, sochair mhíchumais, liúntais mháithreachais nó cúnaimh dhífhostaíochta, íocaíocht sheachtainiúil a íoc leis an duine sin i dteannta an tsochair sin.
4. Ní íocfar íocaíocht sheachtainiúil le duine a bheidh ina theideal nó go mbeidh tréimhse dhá sheachtain caite dar tosach dáta a fhostaíocht a fhoirceannadh agus ní íocfar í in aghaidh na tréimhse dhá sheachtain sin.
5. Ní íocfar íocaíocht sheachtainiúil le duine in aghaidh aon tréimhse mura rud é nach raibh an duine sin i bhfostaíocht shochrach in imeacht na tréimhse sin agus nach bhféadfaí a rá le réasún gurbh é cúis nach raibh an duine sin i bhfostaíocht amhlaidh mainneachtain nó diúltú aige fostaíocht shochrach oiriúnach a lorg nó a ghlacadh.
6. Íocfar, faoi réir mhír 7, le duine atá i dteideal íocaíochta seachtainiúla íocaíocht sheachtainiúil amháin in aghaidh gach bliana fostaíochta leanúnaí tar éis dó sé bliana déag d'aois (arna ríomh de réir Sceideal 3) a shlánú leis an bhfostóir a bhris é mar gheall ar iomarcaíocht.
7. Nuair a bheidh blianta fostaíochta leanúnaí á ríomh chun críche mhír 6, déanfar gach tréimhse dhá bhliain den sórt sin a raibh an duine a bheidh i dteideal na híocaíochta seachtainiúla 41 bliain d'aois nó níos sine ar a bhfeadh go léir a ríomh mar thrí bliana comhlánaithe fostaíochta leanúnaí.
8. Aon duine a bheidh tar éis íocaíocht sheachtainiúil a fháil ní bhfaighidh sé aon íocaíochtaí seachtainiúla eile tar éis dó fostaíocht a fháil; ar choinníoll, má tharlaíonn dó ina dhiaidh sin go dtiocfaidh sé chun bheith dífhostaithe nó asleagtha nó go mbeidh sé as láthair ó obair mar gheall ar bhreoiteacht agus go mbeidh sé, mar gheall ar bheith as láthair amhlaidh, i dteideal sochair mhíchumais faoi Acht 1952, go dtiocfaidh sé, air sin, faoi réir mhír 5, chun bheith cáilithe chun na n-íocaíochtaí seachtainiúla a bhí gan íoc nuair a fuair sé an fhostaíocht sin.
9. Aon uair a gheobhaidh duine a bheidh i dteideal íocaíochta seachtainiúla fostaíocht roimh dheireadh na tréimhse dhá sheachtain a luaitear i mír 4 ní bhfaighidh sé íocaíocht sheachtainiúil; ar choinníoll, má tharlaíonn dó ina dhiaidh sin go dtiocfaidh sé chun bheith dífhostaithe nó asleagtha nó go mbeidh sé as láthair ó obair mar gheall ar bhreoiteacht agus go mbeidh sé, mar gheall ar bheith as láthair amhlaidh, i dteideal sochair mhíchumais faoi Acht 1952, go dtiocfaidh sé, air sin, faoi réir mhír 5, chun bheith i dteideal na n-íocaíochtaí seachtainiúla a mbeadh sé tagtha chun bheith ina dteideal mura mbeadh go bhfuair sé fostaíocht sa tréimhse dhá sheachtain sin.
10. Ní fhorléireofar aon ní sa Sceideal seo mar ní a thugann d'fhostaí ceart chun níos mó ná íocaíocht sheachtainiúil amháin in aghaidh aon seachtaine áirithe amháin nó coda de sheachtain.
11. Déanfar gnáth-luach saothair seachtainiúil a ríomh chun críocha an Sceidil seo de réir mhíreanna 13 go 23 de Sceideal 3.
12. I gcás nach mbaineann teideal duine chun íocaíochta seachtainiúla ach amháin le cuid de sheachtain, déanfar an íocaíocht in aghaidh na coda sin de sheachtain a ríomh faoi threoir an séú cuid den íocaíocht sheachtainiúil iomlán in aghaidh gach lae, gan an Domhnach a áireamh, sa chuid sin den tseachtain.
13. D'ainneoin aon ní i mír 5, 8 nó 9, ní bheidh duine a bheidh ar cúrsa oiliúna a shocraigh nó a cheadaigh an Chomhairle Oiliúna ó theideal chun íocaíocht sheachtainiúil a fháil in aghaidh tréimhse na hoiliúna sin ar an aon-chúis nach bhfuil sé cáilithe chun sochar dífhostaíochta ná cúnamh dífhostaíochta a fháil in aghaidh na tréimhse sin.
14. Ní bheidh duine i dteideal íocaíochta seachtainiúla mura bhfuil gnáthchónaí air sa Stát.
SCEIDEAL 2
Cuid I
Bás Fostóra nó Fostaí
1. Beidh éifeacht ag an gCuid seo maidir le fostaí i gcás ina bhfaighidh a fhostóir (dá ngairtear an fostóir éagtha sa Chuid seo) bás.
2. Ní bheidh feidhm alt 20 maidir le haon athrú trína n-aistríonn úinéireacht an ghnó, ar chun a chríocha a bhí an fostaí ar fostú ag an bhfostóir éagtha, go dtí ionadaí pearsanta an fhostóra éagtha.
3. I gcás ina mbeidh sé le meas, de bhua alt 21, gurb ionann, chun críocha an Achta seo, bás an fhostóra éagtha agus an conradh fostaíochta a fhoirceannadh aige, dá ainneoin sin ní mheasfar, chun na gcríocha sin, é a bheith briste ag an bhfostóir éagtha más rud é—
(a) go ndéanfaidh ionadaí pearsanta don fhostóir éagtha a chonradh fostaíochta a athnuachan, nó go ndéanfaidh ionadaí pearsanta den sórt sin é a athfhruiliú faoi chonradh fostaíochta nua, agus
(b) go dtiocfaidh an athnuachan nó an t-athfhruiliú in éifeacht lá nach déanaí ná ocht seachtain tar éis bás an fhostóra éagtha.
4. I gcás ina measfar chun críocha an Achta seo, mar gheall ar bhás an fhostóra éagtha, gur bhris sé an fostaí, ní bheidh an fostaí i dteideal íocaíochta iomarcaíochta i leith an bhriste sin más rud é—
(a) go mbeidh ionadaí pearsanta don fhostóir éagtha tar éis tairiscint i scríbhinn a thabhairt dó a chonradh fostaíochta a athnuachan nó é a athfhruiliú faoi chonradh nua,
(b) de réir na sonraí a bheidh sonraithe sa tairiscint sin go dtiocfadh an athnuachan nó an t-athfhruiliú in éifeacht lá nach déanaí ná ocht seachtain tar éis bhás an fhostóra éagtha,
(c) (i) nach mbeadh forálacha an chonartha arna athnuachan, nó an chonartha nua, maidir leis an bhfeidhmeannas agus an áit ina mbeadh sé ar fostú agus maidir le téarmaí agus coinníollacha eile a fhostaíochta, éagsúil le forálacha comhréire an chonartha a bhí i bhfeidhm díreach roimh an mbás, nó
(ii) gur tairiscint fostaíochta oiriúnaí maidir leis an bhfostaí an tairiscint d'ainneoin go mbeadh, de réir na sonraí a shonrófar sa tairiscint sin, na forálacha a luaitear i bhfomhír (i) éagsúil (go hiomlán nó go páirteach) le forálacha comhréire an chonartha a bhí i bhfeidhm díreach roimh an mbás, agus
(d) gur dhiúltaigh an fostaí go míréasúnach don tairiscint sin.
5. Chun críocha mhír 4—
(a) ní mheasfar maidir le haon tairiscint gur tairiscint í trína mbeadh forálacha an chonartha arna athnuachan, nó forálacha an chonartha nua, éagsúil le forálacha comhréire an chonartha a bhí i bhfeidhm díreach roimh bhás an fhostóra éagtha ar an aonchúis go gcuirfí an t-ionadaí pearsanta in ionad an fhostóra éagtha mar fhostóir, agus
(b) déanfar neamhshuim den chur in ionad sin nuair a bheifear a chinneadh an raibh sé míréasúnach diúltú don tairiscint.
6. I gcás ina mbeidh sé le meas, de bhua alt 21, gurb ionann básan fhostóra éagtha agus an conradh fostaíochta a fhoirceannadh aige, déanfar aon tagairt in alt 21 (2) d'alt 9 (2) a fhorléiriú mar thagairt a fholaíonn tagairt do mhír 3 den Sceideal seo.
7. I gcás fostaí a bheith, roimh bhás an fhostóra éagtha, asleagtha nó coimeádta ar gearr-am ar feadh seachtaine amháin nó níos mó ach gan é a bheith tar éis fógra go bhfuiltear chun éileamh a dhéanamh a thabhairt don fhostóir éagtha, ansin má tharlaíonn tar éis bháis an fhostóra éagtha—
(a) go n-athnuafar a chonradh fostaíochta, nó go n-athfhruileofar é faoi chonradh nua, mar a luaitear i mír 3 (a) nó 3 (b) den Sceideal seo, agus
(b) tar éis na hathnuachana nó an athfhruilithe, go n-asleagfar é nó go gcoimeádfar ar gearr-am é ar feadh seachtaine amháin nó níos mó ag ionadaí pearsanta an fhostóra éagtha,
beidh feidhm ag ailt 12 agus 13 ionann is dá mba sheachtainí comhleanúnacha an tseachtain a d'éag an fostóir éagtha agus an chéad seachtain ag an bhfostaí i bhfostaíocht faoin ionadaí pearsanta, agus forléireofar dá réir sin aon tagairt sna hailt sin do cheithre sheachtain nó trí sheachtain déag.
8. Beidh éifeacht ag mír 9 nó (de réir mar a bheidh) ag mír 10 i gcás ina mbeidh fógra go bhfuiltear chun éileamh a dhéanamh tugtha ag an bhfostaí don fhostóir éagtha, agus—
(a) gur éag an fostóir éagtha roimh dheireadh na gceithre seachtain díreach tar éis dáta an fhógra sin a sheirbheáil, agus
(b) nár fhoirceann an fostaí an conradh fostaíochta trí fhógra a d'éag roimh bhás an fhostóra éagtha.
9. Mura ndéanfaidh ionadaí pearsanta don fhostóir éagtha, sna himthosca a shonraítear i mír 8, conradh fostaíochta an fhostaí a athnuachan roimh dheireadh na gceithre sheachtain díreach tar éis dáta an fógra go bhfuiltear chun éileamh a dhéanamh a sheirbheáil, agus nach ndéanfaidh ionadaí pearsanta den sórt sin é a athfhruiliú faoi chonradh nua roimh dheireadh na gceithre sheachtain sin, beidh feidhm ag ailt 12 (1) agus 12 (2) agus ag alt 13 (4) ionann is—
(a) nár éag an fostóir éagtha, agus
(b) gur fhoirceann an fostaí an conradh fostaíochta le fógra seachtaine (nó, má cheanglaíonn an conradh air níos mó ná fógra seachtaine a thabhairt chun an conradh a fhoirceannadh, gur fhoirceann sé é leis an bhfógra íosta a cheanglaítear air amhlaidh a thabhairt) a éagfadh roimh dheireadh na gceithre sheachtain sin,
ach ní bheidh feidhm ag ailt 13 (1) go 13 (3).
10. (1) Beidh éifeacht ag an mír seo i gcás ina ndéanfaidh ionadaí pearsanta don fhostóir éagtha, sna himthosca a shonraítear i mír 8, conradh fostaíochta an fhostaí a athnuachan roimh dheireadh na gceithre sheachtain díreach tar éis an fógra go bhfuiltear chun éileamh a dhéanamh a sheirbheáil, nó ina n-athfhruileoidh ionadaí pearsanta den sórt sin é faoi chonradh nua roimh dheireadh na gceithre sheachtain sin, agus—
(a) go raibh sé asleagtha nó coimeádta ar gearr-am ag an bhfostóir éagtha sin ar feadh seachtaine amháin nó níos mó acu sin, agus
(b) go mbeidh sé asleagtha nó coimeádta ar gearr-am ag an ionadaí pearsanta ar feadh na seachtaine, nó ar feadh an chéad dá sheachtain nó níos mó, tar éis na hathnuachana nó an athfhruilithe,
(2) I gcás ina mbeidh na coinníollacha a shonraítear i bhfomhír (1) comhlíonta, beidh feidhm ag ailt 12 agus 13 ionann is dá mba seachtainí comhleanúnacha a raibh sé ar fostú ar a bhfeadh (ach asleagtha nó coimeádta ar gearr-am) ag an bhfostóir céanna na seachtainí go léir a raibh an fostaí asleagtha nó coimeádta ar gearr-am ar a bhfeadh mar a luaitear san fhomhír sin (1).
11. I míreanna 7 go 10, tá le “seachtain” agus “fógra go bhfuiltear chun éileamh a dhéanamh” na bríonna a shanntar dóibh faoi seach le hailt 2 agus 12.
12. I gcás ina measfar, de bhua mhír 3, nár briseadh an fostaí de dhroim athnuachan nó athfhruiliú a tháinig in éifeacht tar éis bhás an fhostóra é agtha, ansin, nuair a bheifear a chinneadh, chun críocha alt 7, an raibh sé ar fostú go leanúnach ar feadh na tréimhse riachtanaí, comhairfear an t-eatramh idir an bás agus dáta na hathnuachana nó an athfhruilithe a theacht in éifeacht mar thréimhse fostaíochta faoi ionadaí pearsanta an fhostóra éagtha, más rud é nach gcomhairfí í, ar leith ón mír seo, chun na críche sin mar thréimhse fostaíochta den sórt sin.
13. Chun críocha aon fhorálacha den Acht a chur chun feidhme, de réir alt 4 (3), maidir le fostaí a bhí ar fostú i dteaghlach príobháideach, forléireofar aon tagairt d'ionadaí pearsanta sa Chuid seo mar thagairt a fholaíonn tagairt d'aon duine chun a bhfuil bainistí an teaghlaigh aistrithe, ar shlí seachas de bhun díolacháin nó diúscairte eile ar chomaoin luachmhar, de dhroim bás an fhostóra éagtha.
14. Faoi réir na bhforálacha sin roimhe seo den Chuid seo, maidir le fostóir atá tar éis bháis—
(a) déanfar aon tagairt san Acht seo d'aon ní a dhéanamh ag fostóir nó maidir le fostóir a fhorléiriú mar thagairt don ní sin a dhéanamh ag aon ionadaí pearsanta, nó maidir le haon ionadaí pearsanta, de chuid an fhostóra éagtha, agus
(b) déanfar aon tagairt san Acht seo do ní a cheanglaítear nó a údaraítear a dhéanamh ag fostóir nó maidir le fostóir a fhorléiriú mar thagairt a fholaíonn tagairt d'aon ní a cheanglaítear nó a údaraítear de réir aon fhorála den Acht seo arna modhnú leis an gCuid seo (lena n-áirítear fomhír (a)) a dhéanamh ag aon ionadaí pearsanta, nó maidir le haon ionadaí pearsanta, dá chuid.
15. I gcás ionadaí pearsanta don fhostóir éagtha a bheith, de bhua aon fhorála den Acht seo arna modhnú leis an gCuid seo, faoi dhliteanas íocaíocht iomarcaíochta nó cuid d'íocaíocht iomarcaíochta a íoc, agus nach raibh an dliteanas sin faibhrithe roimh bhás an fhostóra éagtha, déileálfar leis chun gach críche ionann is dá mba dhliteanas de chuid an fhostóra éagtha a d'fhaibhigh díreach roimh a bhás.
Cuid II
16. I gcás ina mbeidh fógra tugtha ag fostóir d'fhostaí chun a chonradh fostaíochta a fhoirceannadh agus go bhfaighidh an fostaí bás sula n-éagfaidh an fógra sin, beidh feidhm ag Cuid II den Acht seo ionann is dá mbeadh an conradh foirceannta go cuí ag an bhfostóir le fógra a d'éag ar dháta an fhostaí d'fháil bháis.
17. I gcás ina mbeidh fógra tugtha ag fostóir d'fhostaí chun a chonradh fostaíochta a fhoirceannadh, agus go mbeidh tairgthe aige a chonradh fostaíochta a athnuachan, nó é a athfhruiliú faoi chonradh nua, ansin—
(a) má fhaigheann an fostaí bás gan é a bheith tar éis glacadh leis an tairiscint nó diúltú di, agus
(b) nach mbeidh an tairiscint tarraingte siar roimh a bhás,
beidh feidhm ag alt 15 (1) nó 15 (2) (de réir mar a bheidh) ionann is dá gcuirfí “gur mhíréasúnach ar thaobh an fhostaí diúltú” in ionad “gur dhiúltaigh sé go míréasúnach”.
18. (1) I gcás ina dtarlóidh, sna himthosca a shonraítear in ailt 10 (1) (a) agus 10 (1) (b), go bhfaighidh an fostaí bás sula mbeidh an fógra a thug sé faoi alt 10 (b) le héag agus sula mbeidh fógra faoi alt 10 (3) tugtha ag an bhfostóir dó, beidh feidhm ag alt 10 (3) agus ag alt 10 (4) ionann is dá mbeadh an fógra sin tugtha ag an bhfostóir dó agus go ndearna sé dá réir.
(2) I gcás ina dtarlóidh, sna himthosca a shonraítear in ailt 10 (1) (a) agus 10 (1) (b), go bhfaighidh an fostaí bás sula mbeidh a fhógra a tugadh faoi alt 10 (1) (b) le héag ach tar éis don fhostóir fógra a thabhairt dó faoi alt 10 (3), beidh feidhm ag ailt 10 (3) agus 10 (4) ionann is dá mb'amhlaidh do na himthosca nach bhfuair an fostaí bás agus go ndearna sé de réir an fhógra sin is déanaí a luaitear.
19. (1) I gcás ina mbeidh fógra go bhfuiltear chun éileamh a dhéanamh tugtha ag fostaí agus go bhfaighidh sé bás sula mbeidh fógra tugtha aige chun a chonradh fostaíochta a fhoirceannadh agus roimh an tréimhse a shonraítear in alt 12 (2), ní bheidh feidhm ag an alt sin 12 (2).
(2) I gcás ina bhfaighidh fostaí, a mbeidh fógra go bhfuiltear chun éileamh a dhéanamh tugtha aige, bás laistigh de sheacht lá tar éis an fógra sin a sheirbheáil, agus sula mbeidh frithfhógra tugtha ag an bhfostóir, beidh feidhm ag forálacha ailt 12 agus 13 ionann is dá dtabharfadh an fostóir frithfhógra laistigh den seacht lá sin.
(3) Sa mhír seo tá le “fógra go bhfuiltear chun éileamh a dhéanamh” agus “frithfhógra” na bríonna a shanntar dóibh faoi seach le hailt 12 agus 13.
20. Maidir le héileamh a dhéanamh ag ionadaí pearsanta d'fhostaí éagtha a gheobhaidh bás roimh dheireadh na tréimhse 30 seachtain dar tosach dáta an bhriste nó dáta fostaíocht a fhoirceannadh, beidh feidhm ag alt 24 ach “bliana” a chur in ionad “tríocha seachtain”.
21. Faoi réir na bhforálacha sin roimhe seo den Chuid seo, maidir le fostaí atá tar éis bháis—
(a) déanfar aon tagairt san Acht seo d'aon ní a dhéanamh ag fostaí nó maidir le fostaí a fhorléiriú mar thagairt a fholaíonn tagairt don ní sin a dhéanamh ag aon ionadaí pearsanta, nó maidir le haon ionadaí pearsanta, de chuid an fhostaí éagtha, agus
(b) déanfar aon tagairt san Acht seo do ní a cheanglaítear nó a údaraítear a dhéanamh ag fostaí nó maidir le fostaí a fhorléiriú mar thagairt a fholaíonn tagairt d'aon ní a cheanglaítear nó a údaraítear, de réir aon fhorála den Acht seo arna modhnú leis an gCuid seo (lena n-áirítear fomhír (a)) a dhéanamh ag aon ionadaí pearsanta, nó maidir le haon ionadaí pearsanta, dá chuid.
22. Aon cheart chun íocaíochta iomarcaíochta nach raibh faibhrithe roimh bhás an fhostaí cineachfaidh sé chun a ionadaí pearsanta.
23. Maidir le haon chás ina bhfuil, faoi aon fhoráil atá i gCuid II den Acht seo arna modhnú leis na forálacha sin roimhe seo den Chuid seo, cumhacht ag an mBinse a chinneadh go ndlífidh fostóir go n-íocfaidh sé le hionadaí pearsanta d'fhostaí éagtha—
(a) iomlán íocaíochta iomarcaíochta a mbeadh teideal aige chuici ar leithligh ó fhoráil eile a luaitear inti, nó
(b) cibé cuid d'íocaíocht iomarcaíochta den sórt sin is oiriúnach leis an mBinse,
déanfar aon tagairt i mír 22 do cheart chun íocaíochta iomarcaíochta a fhorléiriú mar thagairt a fholaíonn tagairt d'aon cheart chun an t-iomlán nó cuid d'íocaíocht iomarcaíochta a fháil má chinneann an Binse go ndlífidh an fostóir í a íoc.
SCEIDEAL 3
Méid Cnapshuime
1. Beidh méid na cnapshuime comhionann lena gcomhshuim seo a leanas—
(a) toradh leath gnáth-luach saothair sheachtainiúil an fhostaí agus an uimhir blianta fostaíochta leanúnaí, faoin bhfostóir arb ina fhostaíocht a bhí sé ar dháta an bhriste, idir an dáta a shlánaigh fostaí sé bliana déag d'aois agus an dáta a shlánaigh sé bliain agus daichead d'aois, agus
(b) toradh gnáth-luach saothair sheachtainiúil an fhostaí agus an uimhir blianta fostaíochta leanúnaí, faoin bhfostóir arb ina fhostaíocht a bhí sé ar dháta an bhriste, tar éis don fhostaí bliain agus daichead d'aois a shlánú.
2. Ní bheidh an chnapshuim níos mó ná méid is comhionann le gnáth-luach saothair seachtainiúil fiche seachtain.
3. (a) D'fhonn an uimhir blianta fostaíochta leanúnaí a chinneadh chun críocha mhír 1, déanfar an uimhir seachtainí sa tréimhse fostaíochta leanúnaí a chinneadh de réir an Sceidil seo agus roinnfear an toradh ar 52.
(b) Nuair a bheidh an uimhir seachtainí sa tréimhse fostaíochta leanúnaí á cinneadh, déanfar neamhshuim de sheachtain nach inlamháilte faoin Sceideal seo mar sheirbhís inríofa.
(c) Nuair a thabharfaidh roinnt a cheanglaítear faoi fhomhír (a) iarmhar 26 sheachtain nó níos mó, comhairfear an tréimhse iarmhair sin 26 sheachtain (nó níos mó) mar bhliain fostaíochta leanúnaí ach más lú ná 26 sheachtain an t-iarmhar a bheidh ann den roinnt sin, déanfar neamhshuim den tréimhse sin.
(d) Nuair a bheidh an uimhir iomlán blianta fostaíochta leanúnaí arna cinneadh de réir fhomhíreanna (a) go (c) le roinnt chun críocha mhíreanna (1) (a) agus (1) (b), comhshuimeofar aon chodanna a bheidh fágtha de bhliain sna ranna sin agus déanfar an uimhir blianta iomlána a ionadaíonn an comhshuimiú sin (arna ríomh de réir fhomhíreanna (a) go (c)) a chur leis an tréimhse fostaíochta a luaitear i mír 1 (a).
Fostaíocht Leanúnach
4. Chun críocha an Sceidil seo measfar fostaíocht a bheith leanúnach mura bhfoirceannfar í trína briseadh nó tríd an bhfostaí d'fhágáil na fostaíochta go toildheonach.
5. (1) I gcás inar bearnaíodh tréimhse sheirbhíse fostaí ag aon tréimhse acu seo a leanas—
(a) tréimhse nárbh fhaide ná 78 seachtain chomhleanúnacha mar gheall ar thinneas,
(b) tréimhse nárbh fhaide ná 26 sheachtain chomhleanúnacha mar gheall ar:
(i) asleagan,
(ii) laethanta saoire,
(iii) seirbhís ag an bhfostaí in Óglaigh na hÉireann,
(iv) aon chúis (seachas an fostaí d'fhágáil a fhostaíochta go toildheonach) nach luaitear i gclásail (i) go (iii) ach a d'údaraigh an fostóir,
(c) aon tréimhse a bhí an fostaí as láthair ó obair mar gheall ar fhrithdhúnadh ag a fhostóir nó mar gheall ar an bhfostaí a bheith páirteach i stailc, cibé acu roimh thosach feidhme an Achta seo nó dá éis sin a bhí sé as láthair amhlaidh,
ní bheidh leanúntas fostaíochta briste ag an mbearnú sin cibé acu a bheidh nó nach mbeidh fógra d'fhoirceannadh an chonartha fostaíochta tugtha.
(2) In imeacht na bliana 1968 beidh éifeacht ag fomhír (1) (b) ionann is dá gcuirfí “52” in ionad “26”.
6. I gcás ina ndearnadh trádáil nó gnó nó gnóthas (cibé acu is gnóthas é nó nach gnóthas é a bunaíodh le hAcht, nó faoi Acht, den Oireachtas) a aistriú ó dhuine go duine eile, déanfar tréimhse fostaíochta an fhostaí sa trádáil, sa ghnó nó sa ghnóthas tráth an aistrithe a chomhaireamh mar thréimhse fostaíochta faoin aistrí, agus ní bhrisfidh an t-aistriú leanúntas na tréimhse fostaíochta.
Seirbhís Inríofa
7. Chun críocha an Sceidil seo, aon seachtain laistigh de thréimhse fostaíochta leanúnaí agus a raibh, ar a feadh (nó ar feadh aon choda di), an fostaí lena mbaineann ag obair iarbhír nó as láthair ó obair mar gheall ar bhreoiteacht, laethanta saoire nó aon chomhshocraíocht eile lena fhostóir, beidh sí, faoi réir mhír (8), inlamháilte mar sheirbhís inríofa.
8. Ní bheidh aon cheann de na hasláithreachtaí ó obair díobh seo a leanas inlamháilte mar sheirbhís inríofa—
(a) asláithreacht is faide ná 52 sheachtain chomhleanúnacha mar gheall ar thionóisc cheirde nó galar ceirde de réir bhrí an Achta Leasa Shóisialaigh (Díobhálacha Ceirde), 1966,
(b) asláithreacht is faide ná 26 sheachtain chomhleanúnacha mar gheall ar aon bhreoiteacht nach dtagraítear di i bhfomhír (a),
(c) asláithreacht is faide na 13 sheachtain i dtréimhse 52 sheachtain mar gheall ar aon chúis nach dtagraítear di i bhfomhír (a) nó (b) ach ab asláithreacht a d'údaraigh an fostóir,
(d) asláithreacht mar gheall ar asleagan ag an bhfostóir.
9. Aon asláithreacht ó obair mar gheall ar stailc sa ghnó nó sa tionscal ina bhfuil an fostaí lena mbaineann ar fostú agus a tharla roimh thosach feidhme an Achta seo beidh sí inlamháilte mar sheirbhís inríofa.
10. Aon asláithreacht ó obair mar gheall ar stailc sa ghnó nó sa tionscal ina bhfuil an fostaí lena mbaineann ar fostú agus a tharla tar éis tosach feidhme an Achta seo ní bheidh sé inlamháilte mar sheirbhíse inríofa.
11. Beidh asláithreacht ó obair mar gheall ar fhrithdhúnadh inlamháilte mar sheirbhís inríofa.
12. Aon asláithreacht ó obair mar gheall ar stailc nó frithdhúnadh i ngnó nó i dtionscal seachas an ceann ina bhfuil an fostaí lena mbaineann ar fostú beidh sé inlamháilte mar sheirbhís inríofa más roimh thosach feidhme an Achta seo a tharla.
Gnáth-luach Saothair Seachtainiúil
13. Chun críocha an Sceidil seo, i gcás fostaí a íoctar go hiomlán de réir am-ráta in aghaidh na huaire a chloig nó le pá nó tuarastal socraithe agus i gcás aon fhostaí eile nach n-athraíonn a luach saothair maidir leis an méid oibre a dhéanann sé, measfar gurb é a ghnáth-luach saothair seachtainiúil a thuilleamh (lena n-áirítear aon bhónas nó liúntas rialta nach n-athraíonn maidir leis an méid oibre a dhéantar) in aghaidh a ghnáth-uaire a chloig oibre sa tseachtain amhail ar an dáta a dearbhaíodh é a bheith iomarcach, mar aon le, i gcás fostaí a bhfuil sé ceaptha dó breis-am a oibriú go rialta, a mheán-tuilleamh breis-ama seachtainiúil arna chinneadh de réir mhír 14.
14. Chun críche mhír 13 cinnfear an meán-tuilleamh breis-ama seachtainiúil trí mhéid iomlán tuillimh bhreis-ama an fhostaí lena mbaineann sa tréimhse 26 sheachtain a chríochnaigh 13 sheachtain roimh an dáta a dearbhaíodh an fostaí a bheith iomarcach a dhéanamh amach agus an méid sin a roinnt ar 26.
15. Chun críche mhír 14 déanfar neamhshuim d'aon seachtain nach raibh an t-oibrí lena mbaineann ag obair agus cuirfear an tseachtain is déanaí roimh an tréimhse 26 sheachtain a luaitear i mír 14 i gcuntas in ionad na seachtaine nach raibh an fostaí ag obair.
16. (1) I gcás fostaí a íoctar go hiomlán nó go páirteach de réir tascrátaí, le bónais nó coimisiúin (is tascrátaí, bónais nó coimisiúin a bhaineann go díreach lena tháirgeadh) agus i gcás aon fhostaí eile a n-athraíonn a luach saothair maidir leis an méid oibre a dhéanann sé, measfar gurb é a ghnáth-luach saothair seachtainiúil an méid a ríomhfar de réir fhomhír (ii).
(ii) Chun críocha fhomhír (i) ríomhfar gnáth-luach saothair seachtainiúil tríd an luach saothair a bheidh le cur i gcuntas de réir fhomhír (iii) a roinnt ar an uimhir uair a chloig a dhéanfar amach de réir fhomhír (vi) agus an ráta san uair a chloig a gheofar dá thoradh sin a iolrú ar na gnáth-uaire a chloig oibre sa tseachtain de chuid an oibrí lena mbaineann ar an dáta a dearbhaíodh é a bheith iomarcach.
(iii) Is é an luach saothair a bheidh le cur i gcuntas chun críocha fhomhír (ii) an luach saothair iomlán a íocadh leis an bhfostaí lena mbaineann in aghaidh na n-uaire a chloig go léir a oibríodh sa tréimhse 26 sheachtain a chríochnaigh 13 sheachtain roimh an dáta ar ar dearbhaíodh an fostaí a bheith iomarcach, arna choigeartú i leith aon athruithe ar na rátaí pá a tháinig i ngníomh i rith na tréimhse 13 sheachtain dar chríoch an dáta ar ar dearbhaíodh an fostaí a bheith iomarcach.
(iv) Chun críocha fhomhír (iii), féadfar seachtainí a oibríodh le fostóirí éagsúla a chur i gcuntas mura ndearna an t-athrú fostóra difear d'fhostaíocht leanúnach an fhostaí mar a fhoráiltear le míreanna 4 go 6.
(v) Chun críocha fhomhír (iii), déanfar neamhshuim d'aon seachtain nach raibh an fostaí ag obair agus déanfar an tseachtain is déanaí roimh an tréimhse 26 sheachtain a luaitear i bhfomhír (iii) a chur i gcuntas in ionad na seachtaine nach raibh an fostaí ag obair.
(vi) Is í an uimhir uaire a chloig a bheidh le cur i gcuntas chun críocha fhomhír (ii) an uimhir iomlán uaire a chloig a oibríodh sa tréimhse 26 sheachtain a luaitear i bhfomhír (iii).
17. I gcás ina bhfaigheann fostaí luach saothair breise as cuid is mó ná uimhir shocraithe uaire a chloig a oibriú, measfar, chun críocha mhíreanna 13 agus 16 (ii) gurb í an uimhir shocraithe sin a ghnáth-uaire a chloig oibre sa tseachtain, mura gceanglaíonn a chonradh fostaíochta air cuid is mó ná an uimhir shocraithe sin uaire a chloig a oibriú, agus sa chás sin is déanaí a luaitear measfar gurb í an uimhir is mó uaire a chloig a cheanglaítear lena chonradh a ghnáth-uaire a chloig oibre sa tseachtain.
18. I gcás ina gcáileoidh fostaí, seachtain áirithe, le haghaidh íocaíochta bónais, pá-liúntais nó coimisiúin a bhainfidh le cuid is mó ná an obair a rinneadh an tseachtain sin féadfar an chuid iomchuí den íocaíocht a chur i gcuntas faoi mhíreanna 13 agus 16 (iii).
19. Aon fhostaí atá ar ghnáth-fhostú ar sealaíocht agus a n-athraíonn a luach saothair maidir leis an seal áirithe a oibríonn sé, agus aon fhostaí a n-athraíonn a luach saothair in aghaidh a ghnáth-uimhir uaire a chloig oibre maidir leis an lá den tseachtain nó na tráthanna den lá nó den oíche ar cuid de nó di na huaire a chloig sin, measfar gur fostaí a íoctar go hiomlán nó go páirteach de réir tascrátaí gach fostaí acu.
20. Chun críocha an Sceidil seo, i gcás fostaí nach bhfuil aon ghnáth-uaire a chloig oibre aige, measfar gurb é a ghnáth-luach saothair seachtainiúil an meán-luach saothair seachtainiúil, lena n-áirítear aon bhónas, pá-liúntas nó coimisiún, a fuair an fostaí lena mbaineann thar an tréimhse 52 sheachtain a bhí sé ag obair iarbhír díreach roimh an dáta ar ar dearbhaíodh é a bheith iomarcach.
21. Measfar chun críocha an Sceidil seo gurb é an dáta ar ar dearbhaíodh fostaí a bheith iomarcach an dáta ar ar tugadh fógra i dtaobh an bhriste bheartaithe don fhostaí de réir alt 17 nó, i gcás ina n-éileofar íocaíocht iomarcaíochta de réir alt 12, an chéad lá den sraith seachtainí asleagain nó gearr-ama dá dtagraítear in alt 7 (3).
22. I gcás ina mbeidh luach saothair nó íocaíochtaí eile le cur i gcuntas, faoin Sceideal seo, in aghaidh tréimhse nach tréimhse ar aon-tráth leis na tréimhsí arb ina n-aghaidh a ríomhtar an luach saothair nó na híocaíochtaí eile, cionroinnfear mar is cóir cuid den luach saothair nó de na híocaíochtaí eile.
23. Chun críocha mhíreanna 13 agus 16, ní chuirfear i gcuntas aon suimeanna a íocadh le fostaí ar mhodh caiteachais a shlánú a thabhaigh sé le riachtanas ag comhlíonadh dualgas a fhostaíochta go cuí.
Ilghnéitheach
24. Sa Sceideal seo—
ciallaíonn “préimh bhreis-ama” an chuid sin de luach saothair a íoctar de bhreis ar na gnáth-rátaí agus a íoctar amhlaidh in aghaidh uaire a chloig a oibrítear de bhreis ar ghnáth-uaire oibre;
tá le “stailc” agus “frithdhúnadh” na bríonna faoi seach a shanntar dóibh le halt 6.
Number 21 of 1967
REDUNDANCY PAYMENTS ACT, 1967
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
Preliminary and General
Section | |
Laying of regulations and certain draft orders before Houses of Oireachtas. |
Redundancy Payment
Redundancy Fund
Miscellaneous Provisions
Acts Referred to | |
1952, No. 11 | |
1963, No. 33 | |
1967, No. 5 | |
Deeds of Arrangement Act, 1887 | 1887, c. 57 |
1965, No. 27 | |
Public Offices Fees Act, 1879 | 1879, c. 58 |
Inland Revenue Regulations Act, 1890 | 1890, c. 21 |
Stamp Duties Management Act, 1891 | 1891, c. 38 |
Stamp Act, 1891 | 1891, c. 39 |
Post Office Act, 1908 | 1908, c. 48 |
Preferential Payments in Bankruptcy (Ireland) Act, 1889 | 1889, c. 60 |
Bankruptcy (Ireland) Amendment Act, 1872 | 1872, c. 58 |
1964, No. 30 | |
Probation of Offenders Act, 1907 | 1907, c. 17 |
1966, No. 16 | |
Number 21 of 1967
REDUNDANCY PAYMENTS ACT, 1967
PART I
Preliminary and General
Short title.
1.—This Act may be cited as the Redundancy Payments Act, 1967.
Interpretation.
2.—(1) In this Act—
“the Act of 1952” means the Social Welfare Act, 1952;
“business” includes a trade, industry, profession or undertaking, or any activity carried on by a person or body of persons, whether corporate or unincorporate, or by a public or local authority or a Department of State, and the performance of its functions by a public or local authority or a Department of State;
“date of dismissal”, in relation to an employee, means—
(a) where his contract of employment is terminated by notice given by his employer, the date on which that notice expires,
(b) where his contract of employment is terminated without notice, whether by the employer or by the employee, the date on which the termination takes effect, and
(c) where he is employed under a contract for a fixed term, and that term expires without the contract being renewed, the date on which that term expires,
and cognate phrases shall be construed accordingly;
“employee” means a person who has entered into or works under (or, in the case of a contract which has been terminated, worked under) a contract with an employer, whether the contract is for manual labour, clerical work or otherwise, is express or implied, oral or in writing, and whether it is a contract of service or apprenticeship or otherwise, and “employer” and reference to employment shall be construed accordingly;
“employee's redundancy contribution” and “employer's redundancy contribution” have the meanings assigned to them by section 27;
“the Employment Service” means the employment service operated under the control of the Minister and known by that title;
“lay-off” has the meaning assigned to it by section 11 (1);
“lump sum” has the meaning assigned to it by section 19;
“the Minister” means the Minister for Labour;
“prescribed” means prescribed by regulations made by the Minister under this Act;
“rebate” has the meaning assigned to it by section 29;
“redundancy payment” has the meaning assigned to it by section 7;
“short-time” has the meaning assigned to it by section 11 (2);
“sickness” or “illness” includes being incapable of work within the meaning of the Act of 1952;
“special redundancy scheme” has the meaning assigned to it by section 47;
“the Tribunal” has the meaning assigned to it by section 39 (1);
“week”, in relation to an employee whose remuneration is calculated weekly by a week ending on a day other than Saturday, means a week ending on that other day and, in relation to any other employee, means a week ending on Saturday, and “weekly” shall be construed accordingly;
“weekly payment” has the meaning assigned to it by section 30.
(2) In this Act a reference to a Part, section or schedule is to a Part or section of, or schedule to, this Act unless it is indicated that reference to some other enactment is intended.
(3) In this Act a reference to a subsection, paragraph, sub-paragraph or other division is to the subsection, paragraph, sub-paragraph or other division of the provision (including a schedule) in which the reference occurs, unless it is indicated that reference to another provision is intended.
(4) For the purposes of the operation of this Act in relation to an employee whose remuneration is payable to him by a person other than his employer, reference in this Act to an employer shall be construed as reference to the person by whom the remuneration is payable.
Commencement.
3.—This Act shall come into operation on such day as the Minister appoints by order.
Classes of persons to which this Act applies.
4.—(1) Subject to this section and to section 47 this Act shall apply to employees employed in employment which is insurable for all benefits under the Social Welfare Acts, 1952 to 1966 and to employees who were so employed in such employment in the period of two years ending on the date of termination of employment.
(2) This Act shall not apply to a person who is normally expected to work for the same employer for less than 21 hours in a week.
(3) (a) For the purpose of the application of this Act to an employee who is employed in a private household this Act (other than section 20) shall apply as if the household were a business and the maintenance of the household were the carrying on of that business by the employer.
(b) This Act shall not apply to any person in respect of employment where the employer is the father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, stepfather, stepmother, son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter, stepson, stepdaughter, brother, sister, halfbrother or halfsister of the employee, where the employee is a member of the employer's household and the employment is related to a private dwelling house or a farm in or on which both the employer and the employee reside.
(4) The Minister may by order declare that this Act shall not apply to a class or classes of persons specified in the order and from the commencement of the order this Act shall not apply to that class or those classes.
(5) Notwithstanding subsection (2), the Minister may by order declare that this Act shall apply to a specified class of worker and from the commencement of the order this Act shall apply to that class.
(6) The Minister may by order amend or revoke an order under this section.
Laying of regulations and certain draft orders before Houses of Oireachtas.
5.—(1) Whenever an order is proposed to be made under section 4 (4), 4 (5), 4 (6), 19 (3), 28 (3), 30 (3) or 47, a draft of the proposed order shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas and the order shall not be made until a resolution approving of the draft has been passed by each such House.
(2) Every regulation made under this Act shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made and, if a resolution annulling the regulation is passed by either such House within the next twenty-one days on which that House has sat after the regulation is laid before it, the regulation shall be annulled accordingly, but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done thereunder.
PART II
Redundancy Payment
Definitions for Part II.
6.—In this Part—
“cease” means cease either temporarily or permanently and from whatever cause;
“lock-out” means the closing of a place of employment, or the suspension of work, or the refusal by an employer to continue to employ any number of persons employed by him in consequence of a dispute, done with a view to compelling those persons, or to aid another employer in compelling persons employed by him, to accept terms or conditions of or affecting employment;
“notice of intention to claim” has the meaning assigned to it by section 12;
“redundancy certificate” has the meaning assigned to it by section 18;
“strike” means the cessation of work by a body of persons employed acting in combination, or a concerted refusal or a refusal under a common understanding of any number of persons employed to continue to work for an employer in consequence of a dispute, done as a means of compelling their employer or any person or body of persons employed, or to aid other employees in compelling their employer or any person or body of persons employed, to accept or not to accept terms or conditions of or affecting employment.
General right to redundancy payment.
7.—(1) An employee, if he is dismissed by his employer by reason of redundancy or is laid off or kept on short-time for the minimum period, shall, subject to this Act, be entitled to the payment of moneys which shall be known (and are in this Act referred to) as redundancy payment provided—
(a) he has been employed for the requisite period, and
(b) he was an employed contributor in employment which was insurable for all benefits under the Social Welfare Acts, 1952 to 1966, immediately before the date of the termination of his employment, or had ceased to be ordinarily employed in employment which was so insurable in the period of two years ending on that date.
(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), an employee who is dismissed shall be taken to be dismissed by reason of redundancy if the dismissal is attributable wholly or mainly to—
(a) the fact that his employer has ceased, or intends to cease, to carry on the business for the purposes of which the employee was employed by him, or has ceased or intends to cease, to carry on that business in the place where the employee was so employed, or
(b) the fact that the requirements of that business for employees to carry out work of a particular kind, or for employees to carry out work of a particular kind in the place where he was so employed have ceased or diminished or are expected to cease or diminish.
(3) For the purposes of subsection (1), an employee shall be taken as having been laid off or kept on short-time for the minimum period if he has been laid off or kept on short-time for a period of four or more consecutive weeks, or for a period of six or more weeks which are not consecutive but which fall within a period of thirteen consecutive weeks.
(4) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, where an employee who has been serving a period of apprenticeship training with an employer under an apprenticeship agreement is dismissed within one month after the end of that period, that employee shall not, by reason of that dismissal, be entitled to redundancy payment.
(5) In this section “requisite period” means a period of 208 weeks' continuous employment (within the meaning of Schedule 3) of the employee by the employer who dismissed him, laid him off or kept him on short-time, but excluding any period of employment with that employer before the employee had attained the age of 16 years.
Qualification of general right under section 7.
8.—(1) Notwithstanding anything in section 7, where an employee who has been dismissed by reason of redundancy or laid off has, during the period of the four years immediately preceding the date of dismissal or the lay-off, been laid off for an average annual period of more than twelve weeks, the following provisions shall have effect:
(a) that employee shall not become entitled to redundancy payment by reason of dismissal or lay-off until a period equal to the average annual period of lay-off over the said four-year period in relation to that employee has elapsed after the date of dismissal or lay-off;
(b) if, before the termination of the period required to elapse under paragraph (a), that employee resumes work with the same employer, that employee shall not be entitled to redundancy payment in relation to that dismissal or lay-off;
(c) if, before the termination of the period required to elapse under paragraph (a), the employer offers to re-employ that employee and that employee unreasonably refuses the offer, he shall not be entitled to redundancy payment in relation to that dismissal or lay-off.
(2) In a case where this section applies, the period of four weeks first referred to in section 12 (2) or the period of thirteen weeks referred to in that section shall not commence until the expiration of the period (referred to in subsection (1) (a)) equal to the appropriate average annual period of lay-off.
Dismissal by employer.
9.—(1) For the purposes of this Part an employee shall, subject to this Part, be taken to be dismissed by his employer if but only if—
(a) the contract under which he is employed by the employer is terminated by the employer, whether by or without notice, or
(b) where under the contract under which he is employed by the employer he is employed for a fixed term, that term expires without being renewed under the same or a similar contract, or
(c) the employee terminates the contract under which he is employed by the employer without notice in circumstances (not falling within subsection (5)) such that he is entitled so to terminate it by reason of the employer's conduct.
(2) An employee shall not be taken for the purposes of this Part to be dismissed by his employer if his contract of employment is renewed, or he is re-engaged by the same employer under a new contract of employment, and—
(a) in a case where the provisions of the contract as renewed or of the new contract as to the capacity and place in which he is employed, and as to the other terms and conditions of his employment, do not differ from the corresponding provisions of the previous contract, the renewal or re-engagement takes effect immediately on the ending of his employment under the previous contract, or
(b) in any other case, the renewal or re-engagement is in pursuance of an offer in writing made by his employer before the ending of his employment under the previous contract, and takes effect either immediately on the ending of that employment or after an interval of not more than four weeks thereafter.
(3) (a) An employee shall not be taken for the purposes of this Part as having been dismissed by his employer if—
(i) he is re-engaged by another employer (hereinafter referred to as the new employer) immediately on the termination of his previous employment,
(ii) the re-engagement takes place with the agreement of the employee, the previous employer and the new employer,
(iii) before the commencement of the period of employment with the new employer the employee receives a statement in writing on behalf of the previous employer and the new employer which—
(A) sets out the terms and conditions of the employee's contract of employment with the new employer,
(B) specifies that the employee's period of service with the previous employer will, for the purposes of this Act, be regarded by the new employer as service with the new employer,
(C) contains particulars of the service mentioned in clause (B), and
(D) the employee notifies in writing the new employer that the employee accepts the statement required by this subparagraph.
(b) Where in accordance with this subsection an employee is re-engaged by the new employer, the service of that employee mentioned in paragraph (a) (ii) shall for the purposes of this Act be deemed to be service with the new employer.
(4) For the purposes of the application of subsection (2) to a contract under which the employment ends on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday—
(a) the renewal or re-engagement shall be treated as taking effect immediately on the ending of the employment under the previous contract if it takes effect on or before the next Monday after that Friday, Saturday or Sunday, and
(b) the interval of four weeks mentioned in subsection (2) (b) shall be calculated as if the employment had ended on that Monday.
(5) When an employee terminates his contract of employment without notice, being entitled to do so by reason of a lock-out by his employer, subsection (1) (c) shall not apply to that termination.
(6) Where by virtue of subsection (2) an employee is treated as not having been dismissed by reason of a renewal or re-engagement taking effect after an interval, then, in determining for the purposes of section 7 (1) whether he has been continuously employed for the requisite period, the period of that interval shall count as a period of employment.
(7) In determining for the purposes of this Act whether at a particular time before the commencement of this Act an employee was dismissed by his employer, the appropriate provisions of this section shall apply as if the matter to be decided occurred after such commencement.
Employee anticipating expiry of employer's notice.
10.—(1) This section shall have effect where—
(a) an employer gives notice to an employee to terminate his contract of employment, and
(b) at a time within the obligatory period of that notice, the employee gives notice in writing to the employer to terminate the contract of employment on a date earlier than the date on which the employer's notice is due to expire.
(2) Subject to subsection (3), in the circumstances specified in subsection (1) the employee shall, for the purposes of this Part, be taken to be dismissed by his employer, and the date of dismissal in relation to that dismissal shall be the date on which the employee's notice expires.
(3) If, before the employee's notice is due to expire, the employer gives him notice in writing—
(a) requiring him to withdraw his notice terminating the contract of employment as mentioned in subsection (1) (b) and to continue in the employment until the date on which the employer's notice expires, and
(b) stating that, unless he does so, the employer will contest any liability to pay to him a redundancy payment in respect of the termination of his contract of employment,
but the employee unreasonably refuses to comply with the requirements of that notice, the employee shall not be entitled to a redundancy payment by virtue of subsection (2).
(4) In this section—
(a) if the actual period of the employer's notice (that is to say, the period beginning at the time when the notice is given and ending at the time when it expires) is equal to the minimum period which (whether by virtue of any enactment or otherwise) is required to be given by the employer to terminate the contract of employment, “the obligatory period”, in relation to that notice, means the actual period of the notice;
(b) in any other case,
“the obligatory period” , in relation to an employer's notice, means that period which, being equal to the minimum period referred to in paragraph (a), expires at the time when the employer's notice expires.
Lay-off and short-time.
11.—(1) Where after the commencement of this Act an employee's employment ceases by reason of his employer's being unable to provide the work for which the employee was employed to do, and—
(a) it is reasonable in the circumstances for that employer to believe that the cessation of employment will not be permanent, and
(b) the employer gives notice to that effect to the employee prior to the cessation,
that cessation of employment shall be regarded for the purposes of this Act as lay-off.
(2) Where by reason of a diminution in the work provided for an employee by his employer (being work of a kind which under his contract the employee is employed to do) the employee's remuneration for any week is less than one-half of his normal weekly remuneration, he shall for the purposes of this Part be taken to be kept on short-time for that week.
Right to redundancy payment by reason of lay-off or short-time.
12.—(1) An employee shall not be entitled to redundancy payment by reason of having been laid off or kept on short-time unless he gives to his employer notice (in this Part referred to as a notice of intention to claim) in writing of his intention to claim redundancy payment in respect of lay-off or short-time.
(2) An employee who has given a notice of intention to claim shall not be entitled to redundancy payment in pursuance of that notice unless within a period of one month from the date of that notice, or, where the matter has been referred to the Appeals Tribunal, within one month from the date of notification to the employee of the Tribunal's decision, he duly terminates his contract of employment by giving the notice required by that contract or, if no notice is so required, by giving to his employer not less than one week's notice in writing of the employee's intention to terminate that contract, and, before the service of the notice of intention to claim, either—
(a) he has been laid off or kept on short-time for four or more consecutive weeks of which the last before the service of the notice ended on the date of service thereof or ended not more than four weeks before that date, or
(b) he has been laid off or kept on short-time for a series of six or more weeks (of which not more than three were consecutive) within a period of thirteen weeks, where the last week of the series before the service of the notice ended on the date of service thereof or ended not more than four weeks before that date.
Right of employer to give counter-notice.
13.—(1) Subject to subsection (2), an employee shall not be entitled to a redundancy payment in pursuance of a notice of intention to claim if, on the date of service of that notice, it was reasonably to be expected that the employee (if he continued to be employed by the same employer) would, not later than four weeks after that date, enter upon a period of employment of not less than thirteen weeks during which he would not be laid off or kept on short-time for any week.
(2) Subsection (1) shall not apply unless, within seven days after the service of the notice of intention to claim, the employer gives to the employee notice (in this Part referred to as a counter-notice) in writing that he will contest any liability to pay to him a redundancy payment in pursuance of the notice of intention to claim.
(3) If, in a case where an employee gives notice of intention to claim and the employer gives a counter-notice, the employee continues or has continued, during the next four weeks after the date of service of the notice of intention to claim, to be employed by the same employer, and he is or has been laid off or kept on short-time for each of those weeks, it shall be conclusively presumed that the condition specified in subsection (1) was not fulfilled.
(4) For the purposes of section 12 (2) and for the purposes of subsection (3)—
(a) it is immaterial whether a series of weeks (whether it is four weeks, or four or more weeks, or six or more weeks) consists wholly of weeks for which the employee is laid off or wholly of weeks for which he is kept on short-time or partly of the one and partly of the other;
(b) no account shall be taken of any week for which an employee is laid off or kept on short-time where the lay-off or short-time is wholly or mainly attributable to a strike or a lock-out, whether the strike or lock-out is in the trade or industry in which the employee is employed or not and whether it is in the State or elsewhere.
Disentitlement to redundancy payment because of dismissal for misconduct.
14.—(1) Subject to subsection (2), an employee who has been dismissed shall not be entitled to redundancy payment if his employer, being entitled to terminate that employee's contract of employment without notice by reason of the employee's conduct, terminates the contract because of the employee's conduct—
(a) without notice,
(b) by giving shorter notice than that which, in the absence of such conduct, the employer would be required to give to terminate the contract, or
(c) by giving notice (other than such notice as is mentioned in subparagraph (b)) which includes, or is accompanied by, a statement in writing that the employer would, by reason of such conduct, be entitled to terminate the contract without notice.
(2) When an employee who has received the notice required by section 17 takes part, before the date of dismissal, in a strike and his employer by reason of such participation, terminates the contract of employment with the employee in a manner mentioned in subsection (1), that subsection shall not apply to such termination.
(3) Where an employee who has given notice to terminate his contract of employment by reason of lay-off or short-time takes part, before the expiry of the notice, in a strike and, by reason of such participation, is dismissed, subsection (1) shall not apply.
Disentitlement to redundancy payment for refusal to accept alternative employment.
15.—(1) An employee who has received the notice required by section 17 shall not be entitled to a redundancy payment if in the period of two weeks ending on the date of dismissal—
(a) his employer has offered to renew that employee's contract of employment or to re-engage him under a new contract of employment,
(b) the provisions of the contract as renewed, or of the new contract, as to the capacity and place in which he would be employed and as to the other terms and conditions of his employment would not differ from the corresponding provisions of the contract in force immediately before his dismissal,
(c) the renewal or re-engagement would take effect on or before the date of dismissal, and
(d) he has unreasonably refused the offer.
(2) An employee who has received the notice required by section 17 shall not be entitled to a redundancy payment if in the period of two weeks ending on the date of dismissal—
(a) his employer has made to him in writing an offer to renew the employee's contract of employment or to re-engage him under a new contract of employment,
(b) the provisions of the contract as renewed, or of the new contract, as to the capacity and place in which he would be employed and as to the other terms and conditions of his employment would differ wholly or in part from the corresponding provisions of his contract in force immediately before his dismissal,
(c) the offer constitutes an offer of suitable employment in relation to the employee,
(d) the renewal or re-engagement would take effect not later than four weeks after the date of dismissal, and
(e) he has unreasonably refused the offer.
(3) Where a person who is entitled to a weekly payment has been offered suitable employment by the Employment Service and has unreasonably refused that offer, that person shall be disqualified from receiving a weekly payment for a period not exceeding six weeks.
Associated companies.
16.—(1) Where the employer is a company, any reference in this Part to re-engagement by the employer shall be construed as a reference to re-engagement by that company or by an associated company, and any reference in this Part to an offer made by the employer shall be construed as including a reference to an offer made by an associated company.
(2) Subsection (1) shall not affect the operation of section 20 in a case where the previous owner and new owner (as defined by that section) are associated companies; and where that section applies, subsection (1) shall not apply.
(3) Where an employee is dismissed by his employer, and the employer is a company (in this subsection referred to as the employing company) which has one or more associated companies, then if—
(a) neither of the conditions specified in sections 7 (2) (a) and 7 (2) (b) is fulfilled, but
(b) one or other of those conditions would be fulfilled if the business of the employing company and the business of the associated company (or, if more than one, each of the associated companies) were treated as together constituting one business,
that condition shall for the purposes of this Part be taken to be fulfilled in relation to the dismissal of the employee.
(4) For the purposes of this section two companies shall be taken to be associated companies if one is a subsidiary of the other, or both are subsidiaries of a third company, and “associated company” shall be construed accordingly.
(5) In this section—
“company” includes any body corporate;
“subsidiary” has the same meaning as, by virtue of section 155 of the Companies Act, 1963, it has for the purposes of that Act.
Notice of proposed dismissal for redundancy.
17.—(1) An employer who proposes to dismiss by reason of redundancy an employee who has not less than four years service with that employer shall, not later than two weeks before the date of dismissal, give to the employee notice in writing of the proposed dismissal and send to the Minister a copy of that notice.
(2) The Minister may make regulations for giving effect to this section and, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, regulations under this section may relate to all or any of the following matters—
(a) the particulars to be stated in the notice,
(b) the method of service of the notice,
(c) the furnishing to the Minister of a copy of the notice and the time for furnishing such a copy.
(3) An employer who fails to comply with this section or who furnishes false information in a notice under this section shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds.
Redundancy certificate.
18.—(1) When an employer dismisses an employee by reason of redundancy he shall give to the employee a certificate (in this Part referred to as a redundancy certificate).
(2) Whenever an employee terminates his contract of employment in accordance with section 12 (2) his employer shall give him a redundancy certificate.
(3) The Minister may make regulations for giving effect to this section and, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, may prescribe the particulars to be stated on a redundancy certificate.
(4) An employer who fails to comply with this section or who furnishes false information in a redundancy certificate shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds.
Payment of lump sum by employer.
19.—(1) Upon the dismissal by reason of redundancy of an employee who is entitled under this Part to redundancy payment, or upon the termination by such an employee in accordance with section 12 (2) of his contract of employment, his employer shall pay to him an amount which is referred to in this Act as the lump sum.
(2) Schedule 3 shall apply in relation to the lump sum.
(3) The Minister may by order amend Schedule 3.
Change of ownership of business.
20.—(1) This section shall have effect where—
(a) a change occurs (whether by virtue of a sale or other disposition or by operation of law) in the ownership of a business for the purposes of which a person is employed, or of a part of such a business, and
(b) in connection with that change the person by whom the employee is employed immediately before the change occurs (in this section referred to as the previous owner) terminates the employee's contract of employment, whether by or without notice.
(2) If, by agreement with the employee, the person (in this section referred to as the new owner) who immediately after the change occurs is the owner of the business or of the part of the business in question as the case may be renews the employee's contract of employment (with the substitution of the new owner for the previous owner) or re-engages him under a new contract of employment, section 9 (2) shall have effect as if the renewal or re-engagement had been a renewal or re-engagement by the previous owner (without any substitution of the new owner for the previous owner).
(3) If the new owner offers to renew the employee's contract of employment (with the substitution of the new owner for the previous owner) or to re-engage him under a new contract of employment, but the employee refuses the offer, section 15 (1) or section 15 (2) (as may be appropriate) shall have effect, subject to subsection (4) of this section, in relation to that offer and refusal as it would have had effect in relation to the like offer made by the previous owner and a refusal of that offer by the employee.
(4) For the purposes of the operation, in accordance with subsection (3) of this section, of section 15 (1) or 15 (2) in relation to an offer made by the new owner,—
(a) the offer shall not be treated as one whereby the provisions of the contract as renewed, or of the new contract, as the case may be, would differ from the corresponding provisions of the contract as in force immediately before the dismissal by reason only that the new owner would be substituted for the previous owner as the employer, and
(b) no account shall be taken of that substitution in determining whether the refusal of the offer was unreasonable.
(5) Subsections (1) to (4) shall have effect (subject to the necessary modifications) in relation to a case where—
(a) the person by whom a business, or part of a business, is owned immediately before a change is one of the persons by whom (whether as partners, trustees or otherwise) it is owned immediately after the change, or
(b) the persons by whom a business, or part of a business, is owned immediately before a change (whether as partners, trustees or otherwise) include the person by whom, or include one or more of the persons by whom, it is owned immediately after the change,
as those provisions have effect where the previous owner and the new owner are wholly different persons.
(6) Nothing in this section shall be construed as requiring any variation of a contract of employment by agreement between the parties to be treated as constituting a termination of the contract.
Implied or constructive termination of contract.
21.—(1) Where, in accordance with any enactment or rule of law, any act on the part of an employer or any event affecting an employer (including, in the case of an individual, his death) operates so as to terminate a contract under which an employee is employed by him, that act or event shall for the purposes of this Act be treated as a termination of the contract by the employer, if apart from this subsection, it would not constitute a termination of the contract by him.
(2) Where—
(a) subsection (1) applies,
(b) the employee's contract of employment is not renewed, and
(c) he is not re-engaged under a new contract, as provided by section 9 (2),
he shall for the purposes of this Act be taken to be dismissed by reason of redundancy if the circumstances in which the contract is not renewed and he is not re-engaged (as provided by the said section 9 (2)) are wholly or mainly attributable to a fact specified in section 7 (2) (a) or 7 (2) (b).
(3) For the purposes of subsection (2), section 7 (2) (a), in so far as it relates to the employer ceasing or intending to cease to carry on the business, shall be construed as if the reference to the employer included a reference to any person to whom, in consequence of the act or event in question, power to dispose of the business has passed.
(4) In this section reference to section 9 (2) includes reference to that section as applied by section 20 (2).
Application of this Part upon employer's or employee's death.
22.—(1) Part I of Schedule 2 shall have effect in relation to the death of an employer.
(2) Part 2 of Schedule 2 shall have effect in relation to the death of an employee.
Modification of right to redundancy payment where previous redundancy payment has been paid.
23.—(1) This section shall apply where—
(a) a lump sum is paid to an employee under section 19, whether in respect of dismissal, lay-off or short-time,
(b) the contract of employment under which he was employed (in this section referred to as the previous contract) is renewed, whether by the same or another employer, or he is re-engaged under a new contract of employment, whether by the same or another employer, and
(c) the circumstances of the renewal or re-engagement are such that, in determining for the purposes of section 7 (1) or Schedule 3 whether at any subsequent time he has been continuously employed for the requisite period, or for what period he has been continuously employed, the continuity of his period of employment would, apart from this section, be treated as not having been broken by the termination of the previous contract and the renewal or re-engagement.
(2) In determining for the purposes of section 7 (1) or section 19 in a case to which this section applies whether at any subsequent time an employee has been continuously employed for the requisite period, or for what period he has been continuously employed, the continuity of the period of employment shall be treated as having been broken at the date which was the date of dismissal in relation to the lump sum mentioned in subsection (1) (a), and any time before that date shall be disregarded.
(3) For the purposes of this section a lump sum shall be treated as having been paid if the whole of the payment has been paid to the employee by the employer or if the Minister has paid a sum to the employee in respect of the redundancy payment under section 32.
Time-limit on claims for redundancy payment.
24.—Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, an employee shall not be entitled to a lump sum unless before the end of the period of thirty weeks beginning on the date of dismissal or the date of termination of employment—
(a) the payment has been agreed and paid, or
(b) the employee has made a claim for the payment by notice in writing given to the employer, or
(c) a question as to the right of the employee to the payment, or as to the amount of the payment, has been referred to the Tribunal under section 39.
Employment wholly or partly abroad.
25.—(1) An employee shall not be entitled to redundancy payment if on the date of dismissal he is outside the State, unless under his contract of employment he ordinarily worked in the State.
(2) An employee who under his contract of employment ordinarily works outside the State shall not be entitled to redundancy payment unless, immediately before he commenced to work outside the State, he was domiciled in the State and was in the employment of the employer concerned and unless—
(a) he was in the State in accordance with the instructions of his employer on the date of dismissal, or
(b) he had not been afforded a reasonable opportunity by his employer of being in the State on that date.
(3) In computing, for the purposes of this Act, for what period of service a person was in continuous employment, any period of service in the employment of the employer concerned while the employee was outside the State shall be deemed to have been service in the employment of that employer within the State.
(4) Where an employee who has worked for his employer outside the State becomes entitled to redundancy payment under this Act, the employer in making any lump sum payment due to the employee under section 19 shall be entitled to deduct from that payment any redundancy payment to which that employee may have been entitled under a statutory scheme relating to redundancy in the State in which he was working.
PART III
Redundancy Fund
Establishment of the Redundancy Fund.
26.—(1) For the purposes of this Act there shall be established a fund which shall be known as the Redundancy Fund, into which there shall be paid all moneys received by the Minister under this Part and out of which payments shall be made in accordance with this Act.
(2) The Redundancy Fund shall comprise a current account, to be managed and controlled by the Minister, and an investment account, to be managed and controlled by the Minister for Finance.
(3) Save where otherwise specifically provided, sums payable into the Redundancy Fund shall be paid into the current account thereof and sums payable out of the Redundancy Fund shall be paid out of that account.
(4) Moneys standing to the credit of the current account of the Redundancy Fund and not required to meet current expenditure shall be transferred to the investment account of the Redundancy Fund.
(5) Whenever the moneys in the current account of the Redundancy Fund are insufficient to meet the liabilities of that account, there shall be transferred to that account from the investment account of the Redundancy Fund such sums as may be necessary for the purpose of discharging those liabilities.
(6) Subject to subsection (5), moneys standing to the credit of the investment account of the Redundancy Fund shall be invested by the Minister for Finance, and income arising from any such investment shall be paid into that account.
(7) An investment pursuant to subsection (6) may be in any securities in which trustees are for the time being by law empowered to invest trust funds or in any of the stocks, funds and securities as are for the time being authorised by law as investments for Post Office Savings Bank funds.
(8) Accounts of the Redundancy Fund shall be prepared in such form, in such manner and at such times as the Minister for Finance may direct and the Comptroller and Auditor General shall examine and certify every such account and a copy thereof, together with the report thereon of the Comptroller and Auditor General, shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas.
Financing of Redundancy Fund.
27.—(1) For the purpose of providing moneys for making payments which under this Act are to be made out of the Redundancy Fund there shall be paid into the Fund—
(a) weekly contributions which shall comprise a contribution (in this Part referred to as an employer's redundancy contribution) by employers and a contribution (in this Part referred to as an employee's redundancy contribution) by employees, and
(b) advances as provided for in subsection (2).
(2) The Minister for Finance may, on the recommendation of the Minister, advance from time to time to the Fund such sums as he thinks proper in order to enable the making of such payments out of the Fund as are required by this Act.
(3) Advances to the Redundancy Fund under subsection (2) shall be made on such terms as to repayments, interest and other matters as the Minister for Finance, in consultation with the Minister, may determine.
(4) All sums paid by the Fund in repayment of an advance under this section or in pursuance of any term or condition subject to which an advance was made under this section shall be paid into or disposed of for the benefit of the Exchequer.
(5) All moneys from time to time required by the Minister for Finance to meet sums which may become payable by him under this section shall be advanced out of the Central Fund or the growing produce thereof.
(6) The Minister for Finance may, for the purpose of providing for the advance of sums out of the Central Fund under this section, borrow on the security of the Central Fund or the growing produce thereof any sums required for that purpose, and for the purpose of such borrowing, he may create and issue securities bearing such rate of interest and subject to such conditions as to repayment, redemption or otherwise as he thinks fit, and shall pay all moneys so borrowed into the Exchequer.
(7) The principal of and interest on all securities issued under this section and the expenses incurred in connection with the issue of such securities shall be charged on and payable out of the Central Fund or the growing produce thereof.
(8) The income and expenditure of the Redundancy Fund for a financial year shall be determined for the purposes of this section by the Minister on such basis as may be agreed on between him and the Minister for Finance.
Amount of weekly contribution to Redundancy Fund.
28.—(1) An employer's redundancy contribution shall be at the rate of eightpence per contribution week in respect of each eligible male employee and sixpence per contribution week in respect of each eligible female employee.
(2) An employee's redundancy contribution shall be at the rate of fourpence per contribution week for an eligible male employee and threepence per contribution week for an eligible female employee.
(3) (a) The Minister may by order vary a rate specified in this section.
(b) The Minister may by order amend or revoke an order under this subsection.
(4) An employer shall be liable in the first instance to pay both the employer's redundancy contribution in respect of himself and also, on behalf of and to the exclusion of each eligible employee, the contribution payable by such employee.
(5) An employer shall be entitled, subject to and in accordance with regulations, to recover from an eligible employee the amount of any redundancy contribution paid or to be paid by him on behalf of that employee, and, notwithstanding anything in any enactment, regulations for the purposes of this subsection may authorise recovery by deductions from the employee's remuneration, but any such regulations shall provide that—
(a) where the employee does not receive any pecuniary remuneration either from the employer or from any other person, the employer shall not be entitled to recover the amount of any such contribution from him, and
(b) where the employee receives any pecuniary remuneration from the employer, the employer shall not be entitled to recover any such contribution otherwise than by deductions.
(6) Notwithstanding any contract to the contrary, an employer shall not be entitled to deduct from the remuneration of a person employed by him, or otherwise to recover from such a person, the employer's redundancy contribution in respect of that person.
(7) A contribution under this section shall be payable in respect of each contribution week during the whole or any part of which the employee concerned was employed and in respect of which an employment contribution was payable for that employee under the Act of 1952.
(8) In this section—
“contribution week” means a period of seven days commencing at midnight on a Sunday;
“eligible”, in relation to an employee, means an employee to whom, by virtue of section 4 or an order thereunder, this Act applies.
Rebates to employers from the Redundancy Fund.
29.—(1) Subject to this Part the Minister shall make from the Redundancy Fund a payment to an employer of such sum (in this Part referred to as a rebate) as is equivalent in amount to one-half of each lump sum paid by that employer under section 19.
(2) An employer who gives to the Minister a copy of a notice under section 17 on a date which is three weeks or more before the date of dismissal shall be entitled to a rebate of an amount equal to one-half of the lump sum concerned increased by 2½ per cent. of the lump sum for each week's notice in excess of the period required by section 17; provided that a rebate shall not in any case exceed such sum as is equivalent in amount to 65 per cent. of the relevant lump sum paid by the employer under section 19.
(3) Notwithstanding subsection (1), whenever an employer fails to comply with any provision of section 17, the Minister may at his discretion reduce the amount of the rebate payable in respect of the lump sum paid under section 19 to that employer: provided that the amount of the rebate when so reduced shall not be less than 40 per cent. of the amount of the lump sum.
(4) Where, in a case falling within section 32 (1) (a), the Minister makes a payment under that section to an employee and it appears to the Minister that the refusal or failure of the employer was without reasonable excuse, the Minister may either withhold the rebate to which that employer would otherwise have been entitled or reduce the amount of that rebate to such extent as the Minister thinks appropriate.
Weekly payments to employees from Redundancy Fund.
30.—(1) Upon his dismissal by reason of redundancy or upon the termination by him, in accordance with section 12 (2), of his contract of employment, an employee who is entitled to redundancy payment shall be entitled, subject to this Act, to a weekly payment (in this Act referred to as a weekly payment) from the Redundancy Fund.
(2) The provisions of Schedule 1 shall apply to a weekly payment.
(3) The Minister may by order amend Schedule 1.
Regulations as to entitlement to weekly payment and to allowance under Industrial Training Act, 1967.
31.—(1) The Minister may by regulations provide, in relation to cases where a person is entitled to an allowance under section 9 (1) (g) of the Industrial Training Act, 1967, and to a weekly payment, for adjusting the amount of such allowance or the amount of such weekly payment.
(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, regulations under this section may provide that a person to whom the regulations apply shall not be entitled to a weekly payment either at all or for a specified period.
Other payments to employees from Redundancy Fund.
32.—(1) When an employee claims that an employer is liable to pay to him a lump sum under section 19 and either that—
(a) the employee has taken all reasonable steps (other than legal proceedings) to obtain the payment of the lump sum from the employer and the employer has refused or failed to pay it or has paid part of it and has refused or failed to pay the balance, or
(b) the employer is insolvent and the whole or part of the lump sum remains unpaid,
the employee may apply to the Minister for a payment under this section.
(2) If on an application under this section the Minister is satisfied that an employee is entitled to a lump sum under section 19 which remains unpaid either in whole or in part, the Minister shall pay to the employee out of the Redundancy Fund so much of the lump sum as remains unpaid.
(3) Upon the payment by the Minister of a payment under this section all rights and remedies of the employee with respect to the lump sum concerned or, if the Minister has paid part of it, with respect to that part, shall thereupon stand transferred to and become vested in the Minister and any moneys recovered by the Minister by virtue of this subsection shall be paid into the Redundancy Fund; provided, however, that where an employer is insolvent, the Minister shall be entitled to claim in the bankruptcy, arrangement, administration of the insolvent estate or winding up (as the case may be) in respect of, and only in respect of, a sum (if any) equal to the amount of the payment made by the Minister under this section less the amount of the rebate that would have been payable to the employer from the Redundancy Fund under section 29 if the employer had paid the lump sum to the employee.
(4) For the purpose of this section an employer shall be deemed to be insolvent if—
(a) the employer has been adjudicated bankrupt, has filed a petition for arrangement or has executed a deed of arrangement (within the meaning of section 4 of the Deeds of Arrangement Act, 1887),
(b) the employer has died and his estate, being insolvent, is being administered in accordance with the rules set out in Part I of the First Schedule to the Succession Act, 1965, or
(c) the employer is a company, and the company is insolvent and being wound up.
Regulations as to payment of contributions.
33.—(1) The Minister may make regulations providing for any matters incidental to the payment and collection of contributions under this Part and in particular for—
(a) payment of contributions by means of adhesive stamps (to be known as redundancy stamps) affixed to cards (to be known as redundancy cards) or otherwise, and for regulating the manner, times, and conditions in, at, and under which redundancy stamps are to be affixed or payments are otherwise to be made;
(b) the issue, custody, production, and surrender of redundancy cards and the replacement of redundancy cards which have been lost, destroyed, or defaced;
(c) treating, for the purpose of any right under this Act, contributions paid after the due dates as paid on those dates or on such later dates as may be prescribed, or as not having been paid;
(d) the recovery (without prejudice to any other remedy), on prosecutions brought under this Act, of contributions;
(e) the return, subject to any conditions, restrictions and deductions specified in the regulations, of any sums paid in error by way of contributions.
(2) Regulations may be made under this section to provide for the payment of contributions by a method other than redundancy stamps, and such regulations may provide for offences and for the recovery on summary conviction of such offences of fines not exceeding specified amounts not exceeding fifty pounds, together with, in the case of continuing offences, further such fines in respect of each of the days on which the offences are continued.
(3) Regulations under this section may provide for the payment of contributions, at the option of the person liable to pay, by a method (hereinafter referred to as the other method) other than a method mentioned in subsection (1) or (2) and, if the other method involves any departments of State in greater administrative expense than would be incurred if the contributions were paid by the method prescribed in regulations made under subsection (1) or (2), the regulations under this subsection may include provision for the payment to the Minister by any person who adopts the other method, and for the recovery by the Minister, of prescribed fees.
(4) The Public Offices Fees Act, 1879, shall not apply in respect of the fees referred to in subsection (3) and all such fees shall be collected and taken in such manner as the Minister for Finance directs from time to time and shall be paid into or disposed of for the benefit of the Exchequer in accordance with the directions of that Minister.
Preparation and issue of redundancy stamps, etc.
34.—(1) Subject to subsection (2), redundancy stamps shall be prepared and issued in such manner as the Revenue Commissioners, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, may direct, and the said Commissioners may, by regulations made by them, provide for applying, with the necessary adaptations, in relation to redundancy stamps, all or any of the provisions (including penal provisions) of the following enactments—
sections 21, 35 and 36 of the Inland Revenue Regulations Act, 1890, the Stamp Duties Management Act, 1891, section 9 of the Stamp Act, 1891 and section 65 of the Post Office Act, 1908,
and may, with the consent of the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, provide for the sale of redundancy stamps through the Post Office.
(2) The Government may by order provide that any powers and duties of the Revenue Commissioners with reference to redundancy stamps shall be exercised and performed by the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, either to the exclusion of the Revenue Commissioners or concurrently with the Revenue Commissioners, and any such order may contain such provisions as appear to the Government to be necessary or expedient for giving full effect to the exercise and performance of the duties to which such order relates in the manner provided by such order.
Persons employed by more than one employer, etc.
35.—(1) In relation to persons who—
(a) are employed by more than one employer in any week, or
(b) work under the general control or management of some person other than their immediate employer,
and in relation to any other cases for which it appears to the Minister that special provision is needed, regulations may provide that for the purposes of this Act the prescribed person shall be treated as their employer.
(2) Regulations made relating to persons mentioned in subsection (1) (b) may provide for adjusting the rights between themselves of the person prescribed as the employer, the immediate employer and the persons employed.
Regulations for Part III.
36.—(1) The Minister may make regulations for giving effect to this Part.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), regulations under this section may make provision in relation to all or any of the following matters :
(a) requiring an employer entitled to a rebate to make a claim therefor and prescribing the time within which such a claim is to be made;
(b) requiring an employer who has made a claim for a rebate to produce such evidence and other information as may be prescribed and to produce for examination on behalf of the Minister such documents as may be prescribed and are in that employer's custody or under his control;
(c) requiring, in connection with an application made to the Minister under section 32, the employer concerned to produce for examination on behalf of the Minister such documents as may be prescribed and are in the employer's custody or under his control;
(d) requiring an employee who is entitled to a weekly payment to make a claim therefor in the prescribed manner, within the prescribed time and at the prescribed place;
(e) prescribing the method, time and place for the making of weekly payments.
(3) A person who fails to comply with a regulation under subsection (2) (b) or (2) (c) or who, in relation to a regulation requiring information, furnishes false information shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds.
PART IV
Miscellaneous Provisions
Deciding officers.
37.—The Minister may appoint from his officers such and so many persons as he thinks proper to be deciding officers for the purposes of this Act, and every person so appointed shall hold office as a deciding officer during the pleasure of the Minister.
Decisions by deciding officers.
38.—(1) Subject to this Act and in accordance with any relevant regulations, every question arising—
(a) in relation to a claim for a weekly payment,
(b) as to whether a person is disqualified for a weekly payment,
(c) as to the period of any disqualification for a weekly payment,
(d) as to whether, or at what rate, a redundancy contribution is or was payable by an employer in respect of an employee,
(e) as to who is the employer of an employee, or
(f) on any such other matter relating to this Act as may be prescribed,
shall be decided by a deciding officer.
(2) A reference in this section to a question arising in relation to a claim for a weekly payment includes a reference to a question whether a weekly payment is or is not payable.
Redundancy Appeals Tribunal and appeals and references thereto.
39.—(1) There shall be a Tribunal (which shall be known as the Redundancy Appeals Tribunal and is in this section hereinafter referred to as the Tribunal) to determine the appeals provided for in this section.
(2) The Tribunal shall consist of the following members—
(a) a chairman who shall be a practising barrister or solicitor of 7 years' standing at least,
(b) not more than 3 vice-chairmen, and
(c) not more than 12 ordinary members.
(3) The members of the Tribunal shall be appointed by the Minister and shall be eligible for re-appointment.
(4) The appointments pursuant to subsection (3) of the ordinary members of the Tribunal shall be made—
(a) as to one-half of those members, being persons nominated for that purpose by an organisation representative of trade unions of workers, and
(b) as to the other half of those members, from among persons nominated for that purpose by a body or bodies representative of employers.
(5) The term of office of a member of the Tribunal shall be such period as is specified by the Minister when appointing such member.
(6) (a) A member of the Tribunal may, by letter addressed to the Minister, resign his membership.
(b) A member of the Tribunal may be removed from office by the Minister.
(7) (a) Whenever a vacancy occurs in the membership of the Tribunal and is caused by the resignation, removal from office or death of an ordinary member mentioned in subsection (4) (a), the vacancy shall be filled by the Minister by appointment in the manner specified in that subsection.
(b) Whenever a vacancy occurs in the membership of the Tribunal and is caused by the resignation, removal from office or death of an ordinary member mentioned in subsection (4) (b), the vacancy shall be filled by the Minister by appointment in the manner specified in that subsection.
(8) In the case of a member of the Tribunal filling a vacancy caused by the resignation, removal from office or death of a member before the completion of the term of office of the last-mentioned member, the member filling that vacancy shall hold office for the remainder of the term of office of the person who so resigned, died or was so removed from office.
(9) A vice-chairman of the Tribunal shall act as chairman thereof when so required by the chairman or the Minister and when so acting shall have all the powers of the chairman.
(10) A member of the Tribunal shall be paid such remuneration (if any) and allowances as may be determined by the Minister with the consent of the Minister for Finance.
(11) Whenever the chairman of the Tribunal is of opinion that, for the speedy dispatch of the business of the Tribunal, it is expedient that the Tribunal should act by divisions, he may direct accordingly and, until he revokes his direction, the Tribunal shall be grouped as so directed.
(12) Each division of the Tribunal shall consist of either the chairman or a vice-chairman of the Tribunal, an ordinary member of the Tribunal mentioned in subsection (4) (a) and an ordinary member of the Tribunal mentioned in subsection (4) (b).
(13) The Minister may, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, appoint such officers and servants of the Tribunal as he considers necessary to assist the Tribunal in the performance of its functions, and such officers and servants shall hold office on such terms and receive such remuneration as the Minister for Finance determines.
(14) The decision of the Tribunal on any question referred to it under this section shall be final and conclusive, save that any person dissatisfied with the decision may appeal therefrom to the High Court on a question of law.
(15) Any employer who is dissatisfied with a decision given by the Minister in relation to a rebate or with any decision given by a deciding officer in relation to any question specified in section 38 (1) (d), 38 (1) (e) or 38 (1) (f), or any employee who is dissatisfied with a decision given by a deciding officer under section 38 or with any decision of an employer under this Act may, on giving notice of appeal to the Minister in the prescribed manner, have the question referred to the Tribunal for a decision thereon; provided however, that the Tribunal shall not be competent to decide whether or not an employee is or was at the material time in employment which is or was insurable for all benefits under the Social Welfare Acts, 1952 to 1966.
(16) A deciding officer may if he so thinks proper, instead of deciding it himself, refer in the prescribed manner to the Tribunal for a decision thereon any question which falls to be decided by him under section 38.
(17) (a) The Tribunal shall, on the hearing of any matter referred to it under this section, have power to take evidence on oath and for that purpose may cause to be administered oaths to persons attending as witnesses at such hearing.
(b) Any person who, upon examination on oath authorised under this subsection, wilfully and corruptly gives false evidence or wilfully and corruptly swears anything which is false, being convicted thereof, shall be liable to the penalties for wilful and corrupt perjury.
(c) The Tribunal may, by giving notice in that behalf in writing to any person, require such person to attend at such time and place as is specified in the notice to give evidence in relation to any matter referred to the Tribunal under this section or to produce any documents in his possession, custody or control which relate to any such matter.
(d) A notice under paragraph (c) may be given either by delivering it to the person to whom it relates or by sending it by post in a prepaid registered letter addressed to such person at the address at which he ordinarily resides.
(e) A person to whom a notice under paragraph (c) has been given and who refuses or wilfully neglects to attend in accordance with the notice or who, having so attended, refuses to give evidence or refuses or wilfully fails to produce any document to which the notice relates shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds.
(18) The Tribunal shall submit an annual report to the Minister which shall be published.
(19) The Minister may make regulations giving effect to this section and such regulations may, in particular but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, provide for all or any of the following matters—
(a) the procedure to be followed regarding the submission of appeals to the Tribunal,
(b) the times and places of hearings by the Tribunal,
(c) the representation of parties attending hearings by the Tribunal,
(d) procedure regarding the hearing of appeals by the Tribunal,
(e) publication and notification of decisions of the Tribunal,
(f) notices relating to appeals or hearings by the Tribunal,
(g) the award by the Tribunal of costs and expenses and the payment of such awards,
(h) an official seal of the Tribunal,
(i) for treating the Minister as a party to any proceedings before the Tribunal where he would not otherwise be a party to them and entitling him to appear and be heard accordingly.
Reference and appeal to the High Court.
40.—Where any question, other than a question specified in section 38 (1) (a), 38 (1) (b) or 38 (1) (c), is referred to the Tribunal—
(a) the Minister may, on the request of the Tribunal, refer the question for the decision of the High Court, and
(b) if the question is decided by the Tribunal, any person who is dissatisfied with the decision may appeal therefrom to the High Court on any question of law.
Revision of decisions.
41.—(1) A deciding officer may, at any time and from time to time, revise any decision of a deciding officer, if it appears to him that the decision was erroneous in the light of new evidence or of new facts which have been brought to his notice since the date on which it was given or by reason of some mistake having been made with respect to the law or the facts, or if it appears to him in a case where a weekly payment has been payable that there has been any relevant change of circumstances since the decision was given, and the provisions of this Act as to appeals shall apply to such revised decision in the same manner as they apply to an original decision.
(2) Subsection (1) shall not apply to a decision relating to a matter which is on appeal or reference under section 39 unless the revised decision would be in favour of a claimant for a weekly payment.
(3) A revised decision given by a deciding officer shall take effect as follows:—
(a) where redundancy payment will, by virtue of the revised decision, be disallowed or reduced and the revised decision is given owing to the original decision having been given, or having continued in effect, by reason of any statement or representation (whether written or oral) which was to the knowledge of the person making it false or misleading in a material respect or by reason of the wilful concealment of any material fact, it shall take effect as from the date on which the original decision took effect, but, in a case in which the redundancy payment is by way of periodical payment, the original decision may, in the discretion of the deciding officer continue to apply to any period covered by such original decision to which such false or misleading statement or representation or such wilful concealment of any material fact does not relate;
(b) in any other case, it shall take effect as from the date considered appropriate by the deciding officer, but any payment already made at the date of the revision shall not be affected.
(4) Regulations may provide for the treating of any redundancy payment paid to an employee under a decision of a deciding officer, which it is subsequently decided was not payable, as paid on account of any other redundancy payment which it is decided was payable to that employee or for the repayment of any such payment and the recovery thereof by deduction or otherwise.
(5) Reference in this section to revision includes reference to revision consisting of a reversal.
Provisions relating to winding up and bankruptcy.
42.—(1) There shall be included among the debts which, under section 285 of the Companies Act, 1963, are, in the distribution of the assets of a company being wound up, to be paid in priority to all other debts, all contributions payable by the company under this Act during the twelve months before the commencement of the winding up or the winding-up order, and that Act shall have effect accordingly, and formal proof of the debts to which priority is given under this subsection shall not be required except in cases where it may otherwise be provided by rules made under that Act.
(2) Subsection (1) shall not apply where a company is wound up voluntarily merely for the purposes of reconstruction or of amalgamation with another company.
(3) There shall be included among the debts which, under section 4 of the Preferential Payments in Bankruptcy (Ireland) Act, 1889, are, in the distribution of the property of a bankrupt or arranging debtor, to be paid in priority to all other debts, all contributions payable under this Act by the bankrupt or arranging debtor during the twelve months before the date of the order of adjudication in the case of a bankrupt or the filing of the petition for arrangement in the case of an arranging debtor, and that Act shall have effect accordingly, and formal proof of the debts to which priority is given under this subsection shall not be required except in cases where it may otherwise be provided by general orders made under the said Act.
(4) Every assignment of or charge on, and every agreement to assign or charge, a weekly payment shall be void and on the bankruptcy of any person entitled to a weekly payment the weekly payment shall not pass to the official assignee in bankruptcy or any trustee or other person acting on account of the creditors.
(5) Nothing in section 53 of the Bankruptcy (Ireland) Amendment Act, 1872, or in section 286 of the Companies Act, 1963, shall apply to any redundancy payments made by an employer.
Recovery of sums due to Redundancy Fund.
43.—All moneys due to the Redundancy Fund shall be recoverable as debts due to the State and, without prejudice to any other remedy, may be recovered by the Minister as a debt under statute in any court of competent jurisdiction.
Application of section 52 of the Act of 1952.
44.—Section 52 (other than subsections (4) and (6) thereof) of the Act of 1952 shall apply in relation to redundancy contributions, redundancy cards and redundancy stamps, and in relation to benefits under this Act as it applies to cards, stamps, benefits, contributions and other payments under the Act of 1952.
Application of Section 53 of Act of 1952.
45.—Section 53 of the Act of 1952 shall apply in relation to offences under this Act or under regulations thereunder as it applies to offences under the Act of 1952 or to offences under regulations thereunder, save that in the said application reference in the said section 53 to the Minister for Social Welfare shall be construed as reference to the Minister.
Aid to unemployed persons changing residence.
46.—(1) The Minister may, for the purpose of achieving such a degree of geographical mobility of labour as is, in his opinion, desirable in the interests of promoting national economic policy, make with the consent of the Minister for Finance regulations providing for financial assistance, out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas, to unemployed persons or to persons about to be declared redundant who are obliged to change their normal place of residence in order to take up employment offered or approved by the Employment Service.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), regulations under this section—
(a) may provide for the payment or recoupment, in whole or in part, of the costs of transport (including the transport of household effects) arising out of a change of residence and for allowances in respect of lodgings, and
(b) may impose conditions, time limits and financial limits in respect of any moneys payable under the regulations.
(3) Notwithstanding anything contained in section 4, regulations under this section may apply to workers belonging to a class excluded from this Act by the said section 4.
Special redundancy schemes for employees excluded from Act.
47.—(1) The Minister may, in respect of a class of employee excluded from this Act by section 4 or by an order made thereunder, and after consultation with representatives of employers interested in the form of work normally carried on by employees of that class and with representatives of employees so interested, prepare and cause to be carried out a scheme (in this Act referred to as a special redundancy scheme) providing in accordance with the terms of the special redundancy scheme for redundancy payment to employees of that class.
(2) Whenever the Minister has prepared a special redundancy scheme he shall, as soon as he thinks fit after such preparation, make an order providing for the carrying into effect on a specified date of that special redundancy scheme, and from that date that scheme shall be so carried into effect.
Provision for officers and servants of Córas Iompair Éireann and Óstlanna Iompair Éireann Teoranta.
48.—(1) Section 9 of the Transport Act, 1964, shall not apply to a person who, after the commencement of this Act, becomes an officer or servant of the Board unless such person was, or, but for a casual interruption of his employment, would have been, an officer or servant of the Board at such commencement and continues to be an officer or servant of the Board except for casual interruptions of employment.
(2) Where, before the commencement of this Act, a person is in receipt of compensation under section 9 of the Transport Act, 1964, subsection (1) shall not operate to diminish his right to such compensation.
(3) Where a person, on or after the commencement of this Act, becomes entitled to compensation under section 9 (4) of the Transport Act, 1964, in consequence of the termination of his employment with the Board or with the Company, he shall, notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, stand disqualified, as on and from the date of such entitlement, for redundancy payment in respect of such employment and all contributions under this Act paid in respect of that person as an employee of the Board or of the Company shall be refunded to the person who paid such contributions.
(4) In this section—
“the Board” means Córas Iompair Éireann ;
“the Company” means Óstlanna Iompair Éireann Teoranta.
Power to modify or wind-up existing schemes and arrangements for the provision of superannuation and redundancy payments.
49.—Any scheme or arrangement for the provision of pensions, compensation for redundancy or other benefits (including any scheme or arrangement established or provided by or under, or having statutory force by virtue of, any enactment and any scheme evidenced only by one or more policies of insurance) may be modified, or wound up, in connection with the establishment under this Act of a scheme for the provision of redundancy payments by agreement between the parties concerned in the scheme or arrangement.
Application of Probation of Offenders Act, 1907.
50.—Where an employer is charged with an offence relating to redundancy contributions the court shall not make an order under section 1 (1) of the Probation of Offenders Act, 1907, until it is satisfied that all arrears in respect of the contributions have been paid by the employer.
Voidance of purported exclusion of provisions of this Act.
51.—Any provision in an agreement (whether a contract of employment or not) shall be void in so far as it purports to exclude or limit the operation of any provision of this Act.
Offences by bodies corporate.
52.—Where an offence under this Act committed by a body corporate is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of, any director, manager, secretary or other officer of the body corporate or any person who was purporting to act in any such capacity, he as well as the body corporate shall be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.
Provisions regarding notices.
53.—(1) Any notice which under this Act is required or authorised to be given by an employer to an employee may be given by being delivered to the employee, or left for him at his usual or last-known place of residence, or sent by post addressed to him at that place.
(2) Any notice which under this Act is required or authorised to be given by an employee to an employer may be given either by the employee himself or by a person authorised by him to act on his behalf, and, whether given by or on behalf of the employee,—
(a) may be given by being delivered to the employer, or sent by post addressed to him at the place where the employee is or was employed by him, or
(b) if arrangements in that behalf have been made by the employer, may be given by being delivered to a person designated by the employer in pursuance of the arrangements, or left for such a person at a place so designated, or sent by post to such a person at an address so designated.
(3) In this section reference to the delivery of a notice shall, in relation to a notice not required by this Act to be in writing, be construed as including a reference to the oral communication of the notice.
(4) Any notice which, in accordance with this section, is left for a person at a place referred to in this section shall, unless the contrary is proved, be presumed to have been received by him on the day on which it was left there.
(5) Nothing in subsection (1) or (2) shall be construed as affecting the capacity of an employer to act by a servant or agent for the purposes of any provision (including either of those subsections) of this Act.
Certificate of decision by deciding officer.
54.—A document purporting to be a certificate of a decision made pursuant to this Act or regulations by a deciding officer and to be signed by him shall be prima facie evidence of the making of the said decision, and of the terms thereof, without proof of the signature of such officer or of his official capacity.
Power to remove difficulties.
55.—(1) If in any respect any difficulty arises in bringing into operation this Act or any amendment or repeal effected by this Act, the Minister may by order do anything which appears to be necessary or expedient for bringing this Act into operation, and any such order may modify a provision of this Act so far as may appear necessary or expedient for carrying the order into effect.
(2) Every order made by the Minister under this section shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made, and if a resolution is passed by either House of the Oireachtas within the next twenty-one days on which that House has sat after the order is laid before it annulling such order, the order shall be annulled accordingly, but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under the order.
(3) No order may be made under this section after the expiration of one year after the commencement of this Act.
Expenses of Minister.
56.—(1) Any expenses incurred by the Minister or any other Minister in carrying this Act into effect shall, to such extent as may be sanctioned by the Minister for Finance, be paid out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas.
(2) There shall be paid to the Minister for Finance out of the Redundancy Fund, at such times and in such manner as the Minister for Finance may direct, such sums as the Minister may estimate, on such basis as may be agreed upon between him and the Minister for Finance, to be the part of the said expenses of the Minister or any other Minister in carrying into effect section 39, and any sums so paid shall be appropriated in aid of moneys provided by the Oireachtas for carrying this Act into effect.
(3) In estimating expenses for the purposes of subsection (2), there shall be included such amount as, in the opinion of the Minister for Finance, represents the amount of the accruing liability in respect of any superannuation or other retiring allowances, lump sums or gratuities accruing in respect of the employment of any officer or other person for the purposes of this Act.
Regulations regarding keeping of records, furnishing of information and inspection of records.
57.—For the purpose of ensuring the effective operation of this Act, the Minister may make regulations providing for the keeping of records and the furnishing of information by employers and for the inspection by authorised officers of the Minister of records or other documents in the custody or under the control of employers.
Regulations providing for offences.
58.—The Minister may by regulations provide for offences consisting of contraventions of or failure to comply with a provision of this Act or of contraventions of or failure to comply with regulations under this Act and for the recovery on summary conviction of such offences of fines not exceeding specified amounts not exceeding ten pounds, together with, in the case of continuing offences, further such fines in respect of each of the days on which the offences are continued.
SCHEDULE 1
Weekly Payments from the Redundancy Fund
1. Subject to paragraph 2, the amount of a weekly payment shall be equivalent to 50 per cent. of the employee's normal weekly remuneration.
2. The total amount being paid to a person in a week in respect of the following—
a weekly payment, unemployment benefit under the Social Welfare Acts, 1952 to 1966, disability benefit under those Acts, maternity allowance under those Acts, unemployment assistance under the Unemployment Assistance Acts, 1933 to 1966,
shall not exceed 90 per cent. of that person's normal weekly remuneration; provided that a person shall not receive in respect of unemployment benefit, disability benefit, maternity allowance or unemployment assistance less than that to which that person would, but for this Act, have been entitled.
3. Subject to paragraph 2, weekly payment shall, in the case of a person entitled to unemployment benefit, disability benefit, maternity allowance or unemployment assistance, be paid to that person in addition to such benefit.
4. A weekly payment shall not be paid to a person entitled thereto until the expiration of the period of two weeks beginning on the date of the termination of his employment and shall not be paid in respect of that two-week period.
5. A weekly payment shall not be paid to a person in respect of any period unless during that period that person was not gainfully employed and the fact that he was not so employed could not reasonably be attributed to that person's own failure or refusal to seek or accept suitable gainful employment.
6. A person entitled to a weekly payment shall, subject to paragraph 7, be paid one weekly payment in respect of each year of continuous employment after he has attained the age of sixteen years (as calculated in accordance with Schedule 3) with the employer who dismissed him by reason of redundancy.
7. In calculating years of continuous employment for the purpose of paragraph 6, each period of two such years during the whole of which the person entitled to the weekly payment was 41 years of age or older shall be reckoned as three completed years of continuous employment.
8. Whenever a person who has received a weekly payment obtains employment he shall not receive any further weekly payments; provided that if he subsequently becomes unemployed, is laid-off, or is absent from work through sickness and is by reason of such absence entitled to disability benefit under the Act of 1952, he shall, subject to paragraph 5, thereupon become eligible for the weekly payments which stood unpaid when he obtained that employment.
9. Whenever a person entitled to a weekly payment obtains employment before the expiration of the two-week period mentioned in paragraph 4 he shall not receive a weekly payment; provided that if he subsequently becomes unemployed, is laid-off, or is absent from work through sickness and is by reason of such absence entitled to disability benefit under the Act of 1952, he shall, subject to paragraph 5, thereupon become entitled to the weekly payments to which he would have become entitled had he not obtained employment in that two-week period.
10. Nothing in this Schedule shall be construed as conferring on an employee a right to more than one weekly payment in respect of any one week or part of a week.
11. Normal weekly remuneration shall for the purposes of this Schedule be calculated in accordance with paragraphs 13 to 23 of Schedule 3.
12. Where a person's entitlement to a weekly payment is applicable to part of a week only, the payment in respect of that part of a week shall be calculated by reference to one-sixth of the full weekly payment for each day, excluding Sunday, in that part of the week.
13. Notwithstanding anything in paragraph 5, 8 or 9, a person who is undergoing a course of training arranged or approved by An Chomhairle Oiliúna shall not be disentitled to receive a weekly payment for the period of such training on the ground only that he is ineligible to receive unemployment benefit or unemployment assistance for that period.
14. A person shall not be entitled to a weekly payment unless he is normally resident within the State.
SCHEDULE 2
Part I
Death of Employer or of Employee
1. This Part shall have effect in relation to an employee where his employer (in this Part referred to as the deceased employer) dies.
2. Section 20 shall not apply to any change where by the ownership of the business, for the purposes of which the employee was employed by the deceased employer, passes to a personal representative of the deceased employer.
3. Where, by virtue of section 21, the death of the deceased employer is to be treated for the purposes of this Act as a termination by him of the contract of employment, the employee shall nevertheless not be treated for those purposes as having been dismissed by the deceased employer if—
(a) his contract of employment is renewed by a personal representative of the deceased employer, or he is re-engaged under a new contract of employment by such a personal representative, and
(b) the renewal or re-engagement takes effect not later than eight weeks after the death of the deceased employer.
4. Where, by reason of the death of the deceased employer, the employee is treated for the purposes of this Act as having been dismissed by him, he shall not be entitled to a redundancy payment in respect of that dismissal if—
(a) a personal representative of the deceased employer has made to him an offer in writing to renew his contract of employment or to re-engage him under a new contract,
(b) in accordance with the particulars specified in that offer the renewal or re-engagement would take effect not later than eight weeks after the death of the deceased employer,
(c) either—
(i) the provisions of the contract as renewed, or of the new contract, as to the capacity and place in which he would be employed and as to the other terms and conditions of his employment would not differ from the corresponding provisions of the contract in force immediately before the death, or
(ii) if, notwithstanding that in accordance with the particulars specified in that offer the provisions mentioned in subparagraph (i) would differ (wholly or in part) from the corresponding provisions of the contract in force immediately before the death, the offer constitutes an offer of suitable employment in relation to the employee,
and
(d) the employee has unreasonably refused that offer.
5. For the purposes of paragraph 4—
(a) an offer shall not be treated as one whereby the provisions of the contract as renewed, or of the new contract, would differ from the corresponding provisions of the contract in force immediately before the death of the deceased employer by reason only that the personal representative would be substituted as the employer for the deceased employer, and
(b) account shall not be taken of that substitution in determining whether the refusal of the offer was unreasonable.
6. Where by virtue of section 21 the death of the deceased employer is to be treated as a termination by him of the contract of employment, any reference in section 21 (2) to section 9 (2) shall be construed as including a reference to paragraph 3 of this Schedule.
7. Where the employee has before the death of the deceased employer been laid off or kept on short-time for one or more than one week, but has not given to the deceased employer notice of intention to claim, then if after the death of the deceased employer—
(a) his contract of employment is renewed, or he is re-engaged under a new contract, as mentioned in paragraph 3 (a) or 3 (b) of this Schedule, and
(b) after the renewal or re-engagement, he is laid off or kept on short-time for one or more weeks by the personal representative of the deceased employer,
sections 12 and 13 shall apply as if the week in which the deceased employer died and the first week of the employee's employment by the personal representative were consecutive weeks, and any reference in those sections to four weeks or thirteen weeks shall be construed accordingly.
8. Paragraph 9 or (as the case may be) paragraph 10 shall have effect where the employee has given to the deceased employer notice of intention to claim, and—
(a) the deceased employer has died before the end of the next four weeks after the service of that notice, and
(b) the employee has not terminated the contract of employment by notice expiring before the death of the deceased employer.
9. If in the circumstances specified in paragraph 8 the employee's contract of employment is not renewed by a personal representative of the deceased employer before the end of the next four weeks after the service of the notice of intention to claim, and he is not re-engaged under a new contract by such a personal representative before the end of those four weeks, sections 12 (1) and 12 (2) and section 13 (4) shall apply as if—
(a) the deceased employer had not died, and
(b) the employee had terminated the contract of employment by a week's notice (or, if under the contract he is required to give more than a week's notice to terminate the contract, he had terminated it by the minimum notice which he is so required to give) expiring at the end of those four weeks,
but sections 13 (1) to 13 (3) shall not apply.
10. (1) This paragraph shall have effect where, in the circumstances specified in paragraph 8, the employee's contract of employment is renewed by a personal representative of the deceased employer before the end of the next four weeks after the service of the notice of intention to claim, or he is re-engaged under a new contract by such a personal representative before the end of those four weeks, and—
(a) he was laid off or kept on short-time by the deceased employer for one or more of those weeks, and
(b) he is laid off or kept on short-time by the personal representative for the week, or for the next two or more weeks, following the renewal or re-engagement.
(2) Where the conditions specified in subparagraph (1) are fulfilled, sections 12 and 13 shall apply as if all the weeks for which the employee was laid off or kept on short-time as mentioned in the said subparagraph (1) were consecutive weeks during which he was employed (but laid off or kept on short-time) by the same employer.
11. In paragraphs 7 to 10 “week” and “notice of intention to claim” have the meanings respectively assigned to them by sections 2 and 12.
12. Where by virtue of paragraph 3 the employee is treated as not having been dismissed by reason of a renewal or re-engagement taking effect after the death of the deceased employer, then, in determining, for the purposes of section 7, whether he has been continuously employed for the requisite period, the interval between the death and the date on which the renewal or re-engagement takes effect shall count as a period of employment with the personal representative of the deceased employer, if, apart from this paragraph, it would not count for that purpose as such a period of employment.
13. For the purposes of the application, in accordance with section 4 (3), of any provisions of this Act to an employee who was employed in a private household, any reference to a personal representative in this Part shall be construed as including a reference to any person to whom, otherwise than in pursuance of a sale or other disposition for valuable consideration, the management of the household has passed in consequence of the death of the deceased employer.
14. Subject to the preceding provisions of this Part, in relation to an employer who has died—
(a) any reference in this Act to the doing of anything by, or in relation to, an employer shall be construed as including a reference to the doing of that thing by, or in relation to, any personal representative of the deceased employer, and
(b) any reference in this Act to a thing required or authorised to be done by, or in relation to, an employer shall be construed as including a reference to anything which, in accordance with any provision of this Act as modified by this Part (including subparagraph (a)), is required or authorised to be done by, or in relation to, any personal representative of his.
15. Where by virtue of any provision of this Act, as modified by this Part, a personal representative of the deceased employer is liable to pay a redundancy payment, or part of a redundancy payment, and that liability had not accrued before the death of the deceased employer, it shall be treated for all purposes as if it were a liability of the deceased employer which had accrued immediately before his death.
Part II
16. Where an employer has given notice to an employee to terminate his contract of employment and before that notice expires the employee dies, Part II of this Act shall apply as if the contract had been duly terminated by the employer by notice expiring on the date of the employee's death.
17. Where an employer has given notice to an employee to terminate his contract of employment, and has offered to renew his contract of employment, or to re-engage him under a new contract, then if—
(a) the employee dies without having either accepted or refused the offer, and
(b) the offer has not been withdrawn before his death,
section 15 (1) or 15 (2) (as the case may be) shall apply as if for “the employee has unreasonably refused” there were substituted “it would have been unreasonable on the part of the employee to refuse”.
18. (1) Where, in the circumstances specified in sections 10 (1) (a) and 10 (1) (b), the employee dies before the notice given by him under section 10 (1) (b) is due to expire and before the employer has given him notice under section 10 (3), section 10 (3) and section 10 (4) shall apply as if the employer had given him such notice and he had complied with it.
(2) Where, in the circumstances specified in sections 10 (1) (a) and 10 (1) (b), the employee dies before his notice given under section 10 (1) (b) is due to expire but after the employer has given him notice under section 10 (3), sections 10 (3) and 10 (4) shall apply as if the circumstances were that the employee had not died and had complied with the last-mentioned notice.
19. (1) Where an employee has given notice of intention to claim and dies before he has given notice to terminate his contract of employment and before the period specified in section 12 (2) the said section 12 (2) shall not apply.
(2) Where an employee, who has given notice of intention to claim, dies within seven days after the service of that notice, and before the employer has given a counter-notice, the provisions of sections 12 and 13 shall apply as if the employer had given a counter-notice within those seven days.
(3) In this paragraph “notice of intention to claim” and “counter-notice” have the meanings respectively assigned to them by sections 12 and 13.
20. In relation to the making of a claim by a personal representative of a deceased employee who dies before the end of the period of 30 weeks beginning on the date of dismissal or termination of employment, section 24 shall apply with the substitution for “30 weeks” of “one year”.
21. Subject to the preceding provisions of this Part, in relation to an employee who has died—
(a) any reference in this Act to the doing of anything by, or in relation to, an employee shall be construed as including a reference to the doing of that thing by, or in relation to, any personal representative of the deceased employee, and
(b) any reference in this Act to a thing required or authorised to be done by, or in relation to, an employee shall be construed as including a reference to anything which, in accordance with any provision of this Act as modified by this Part (including subparagraph (a)), is required or authorised to be done by, or in relation to, any personal representative of his.
22. Any right to a redundancy payment which had not accrued before the employee's death shall devolve on his personal representative.
23. In relation to any case where, under any provision contained in Part II of this Act as modified by the preceding provisions of this Part, the Tribunal has power to determine that an employer shall be liable to pay to a personal representative of a deceased employee either—
(a) the whole of a redundancy payment to which he would have been entitled apart from another provision therein mentioned, or
(b) such part of such a redundancy payment as the Tribunal thinks fit,
any reference in paragraph 22 to a right to a redundancy payment shall be construed as including a reference to any right to receive the whole or part of a redundancy payment if the Tribunal determines that the employer shall be liable to pay it.
SCHEDULE 3
Amount of Lump Sum
1. The amount of the lump sum shall be equivalent to the aggregate of the following—
(a) the product of one-half of the employee's normal weekly remuneration and the number of years of continuous employment, with the employer in whose employment he was on the date of dismissal, between the date on which the employee attained the age of sixteen years and the date on which he attained the age of forty-one years, and
(b) the product of the employee's normal weekly remuneration on the date of his dismissal and the number of years of continuous employment, with the employer in whose employment he was on the date of dismissal, after the employee had attained the age of forty-one years.
2. The lump sum shall not exceed an amount equivalent to twenty weeks' normal weekly remuneration.
3. (a) For the purpose of ascertaining, for the purposes of paragraph 1, the number of years of continuous employment, the number of weeks in the period of continuous employment shall be ascertained in accordance with this Schedule and the result shall be divided by 52.
(b) In ascertaining the number of weeks in the period of continuous employment, a week which under this Schedule is not allowable as reckonable service shall be disregarded.
(c) When the division required under subparagraph (a) produces a remainder of 26 or more weeks, this remaining period of 26 (or more) weeks shall be counted as a year of continuous employment but if that division produces a remainder of less than 26 weeks that period shall be disregarded.
(d) When the total number of years of continuous employment as ascertained in accordance with subparagraphs (a) to (c) falls to be divided for the purposes of paragraphs 1 (a) and 1 (b), any remaining parts of a year in those divisions shall be aggregated and the number of full years represented by this aggregation (when calculated in accordance with subparagraphs (a) to (c)) shall be added to the period of employment mentioned in paragraph 1 (a).
Continuous Employment
4. For the purposes of this Schedule employment shall be taken to be continuous unless terminated by dismissal or by the employee's voluntarily leaving the employment.
5. (1) Where an employee's period of service had been interrupted by any one of the following—
(a) a period of not more than 78 consecutive weeks by reason of sickness,
(b) a period of not more than 26 consecutive weeks by reason of—
(i) lay-off,
(ii) holidays,
(iii) service by the employee in the Defence Forces of the State,
(iv) any cause (other than the voluntary leaving of his employment by the employee) not mentioned in clauses (i) to (iii) but authorised by the employer,
(c) any period during which an employee was absent from work because of a lock-out by his employer or because the employee was participating in a strike, whether such absence occurred before or after the commencement of this Act, continuity of employment shall not be broken by such interruption whether or not notice of termination of the contract of employment has been given.
(2) During the year 1968 subparagraph (1) (b) shall have effect as if “52 consecutive weeks” were substituted for “26 consecutive weeks”.
6. Where a trade or business or an undertaking (whether or not it be an undertaking established by or under an Act of the Oireachtas) was transferred from one person to another, the period of employment of an employee in the trade or business or undertaking at the time of the transfer shall count as a period of employment with the transferee, and the transfer shall not break the continuity of the period of employment.
Reckonable Service
7. For the purposes of this Schedule, a week falling within a period of continuous employment and during which (or during any part of which) the employee concerned either was actually at work, or was absent therefrom by reason of sickness, holidays or any other arrangement with his employer shall, subject to paragraph 8, be allowable as reckonable service.
8. None of the following absences from work shall be allowable as reckonable service—
(a) absence in excess of 52 consecutive weeks by reason of an occupational accident or disease within the meaning of the Social Welfare (Occupational Injuries) Act, 1966,
(b) absence in excess of 26 consecutive weeks by reason of any illness not referred to in subparagraph (a),
(c) absence in excess of 13 weeks in a period of 52 weeks and caused by any reason not referred to in subparagraph (a) or (b) but being an absence authorised by the employer,
(d) absence by reason of lay-off by the employer.
9. Absence from work by reason of a strike in the business or industry in which the employee concerned is employed and which occurred before the commencement of this Act shall be allowable as reckonable service.
10. Absence from work by reason of a strike in the business or industry in which the employee concerned is employed and which occurred after the commencement of this Act shall not be allowable as reckonable service.
11. Absence from work by reason of a lock-out shall be allowable as reckonable service.
12. Absence from work by reason of a strike or lock-out in a business or industry other than that in which the employee concerned is employed shall be allowable as reckonable service if it occurred before the commencement of this Act.
Normal Weekly Remuneration
13. For the purposes of this Schedule, in the case of an employee who is paid wholly by an hourly time rate or by a fixed wage or salary, and in the case of any other employee whose remuneration does not vary in relation to the amount of work done by him, his normal weekly remuneration shall be taken to be his earnings (including any regular bonus or allowance which does not vary in relation to the amount of work done) for his normal weekly working hours as at the date on which he was declared redundant, together with, in the case of an employee who is expected to work overtime regularly, his average weekly overtime earnings as determined in accordance with paragraph 14.
14. For the purpose of paragraph 13 the average weekly overtime earnings shall be determined by ascertaining the total amount of overtime earnings of the employee concerned in the period of 26 weeks which ended 13 weeks before the date on which the employee was declared redundant and dividing that amount by 26.
15. For the purpose of paragraph 14 any week during which the employee concerned did not work shall be disregarded and the most recent week before the 26-week period mentioned in paragraph 14 shall be taken into account instead of the week during which the employee did not work.
16. (i) In the case of an employee who is paid wholly or partly by piece rates, bonuses or commissions (being piecerates, bonuses or commissions related directly to his output) and in the case of any other employee whose remuneration varies in relation to the amount of work done by him, his normal weekly remuneration shall be taken to be the amount as calculated in accordance with subparagraph (ii).
(ii) For the purposes of subparagraph (i) normal weekly remuneration shall be calculated by dividing the remuneration to be taken into account in accordance with subparagraph (iii) by the number of hours ascertained in accordance with subparagraph (vi) and multiplying the resulting hourly rate by the normal weekly working hours of the employee concerned at the date on which he was declared redundant.
(iii) The remuneration to be taken into account for the purposes of subparagraph (ii) shall be the total remuneration paid to the employee concerned for all the hours worked in the period of 26 weeks which ended 13 weeks before the date on which the employee was declared redundant, adjusted in respect of any variations in the rates of pay which became operative during the period of 13 weeks ending on the date on which the employee was declared redundant.
(iv) For the purposes of subparagraph (iii), weeks worked with different employers may be taken into account if the change of employer did not affect the employee's continuous employment as provided by paragraphs 4 to 6.
(v) For the purposes of subparagraph (iii), any week during which the employee did not work shall be disregarded and the most recent week before the 26-week period mentioned in subparagraph (iii) shall be taken into account instead of the week during which the employee did not work.
(vi) The number of hours to be taken into account for the purposes of subparagraph (ii) shall be the total number of hours worked in the period of 26 weeks mentioned in subparagraph (iii).
17. Where an employee receives additional remuneration for working more than a fixed number of hours, that fixed number of hours shall, for the purposes of paragraphs 13 and 16 (ii), be taken to be his normal weekly working hours, unless by his contract of employment he is required to work for more than that fixed number of hours, and in the last mentioned case the higher number of hours required by the contract shall be taken to be his normal weekly working hours.
18. Where in a particular week an employee qualifies for a payment of a bonus, pay allowance or commission which relates to more than the work done in that week, the appropriate portion of the payment may be taken into account under paragraphs 13 and 16 (iii).
19. An employee who is normally employed on a shift cycle and whose remuneration varies in relation to the particular shift he works, and an employee whose remuneration for his normal number of working hours varies in relation to the day of the week or the times of the day or night over which those hours are spread, shall be taken to be each an employee who is paid wholly or partly by piece-rates.
20. For the purposes of this Schedule, in the case of an employee who has no normal working hours, his normal weekly remuneration shall be taken to be the average weekly remuneration, including any bonus, pay allowance or commission, received by the employee concerned over the period of 52 weeks during which he was actually working immediately prior to the date on which he was declared redundant.
21. The date on which an employee is declared redundant shall for the purposes of this Schedule be taken to be the date on which a notice of proposed dismissal was given to the employee in accordance with section 17 or, where a redundancy payment is claimed in accordance with section 12, the first day of the series of weeks of lay-off or short-time referred to in section 7 (3).
22. Where under this Schedule account is to be taken of remuneration or other payments for a period which does not coincide with the periods for which the remuneration or other payments are calculated, part of the remuneration or other payments shall be duly apportioned in such manner as may be just.
23. For the purposes of paragraphs 13 and 16, account shall not be taken of any sums paid to an employee by way of recoupment of expenses necessarily incurred by him in the proper discharge of the duties of his employment.
Miscellaneous
24. In this Schedule—
“overtime premium” means the portion of remuneration paid in excess of ordinary rates and so paid for hours worked in excess of the normal working hours;
“strike” and “lock-out” have the meanings respectively assigned to them by section 6.