PART 1

Preliminary and General

Short title, construction and collective citation.

1 .— (1) This Act may be cited as the Protection of Employment (Exceptional Collective Redundancies and Related Matters) Act 2007 .

(2) The Protection of Employment Act 1977 , together with the Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act 2001 and this Act (insofar as they apply to the first-mentioned Act), shall be construed together as one and may be cited together as the Protection of Employment Acts 1977 to 2007.

(3) The Redundancy Payments Acts 1967 to 2003 and this Act (insofar as it relates to those Acts) shall be construed together as one and may be cited together as the Redundancy Payments Acts 1967 to 2007.

(4) The Unfair Dismissals Acts 1977 to 2005 and this Act (insofar as it relates to those Acts) shall be construed together as one and may be cited together as the Unfair Dismissals Acts 1977 to 2007.

(5) The Employment Equality Acts 1998 and 2004 and this Act (insofar as it relates to those Acts) shall be construed together as one and may be cited together as the Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2007.

Definitions.

2 .— In this Act—

“employee representatives” has the same meaning as in section 2(1) of the Protection of Employment Act 1977 ;

“ industrial action ” means—

(a) a cessation of work by any number or body of workers acting in combination or a concerted refusal or a refusal under a common understanding of any number of workers to continue to work for their employer done as a means of compelling their employer, or to aid other workers in compelling their employer, to accept or not to accept terms or conditions of or affecting employment, or

(b) 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 that employer in consequence of a dispute, done with a view to compelling those persons, or to aid another employer in compelling persons employed by that other employer, to accept terms or conditions of or affecting employment;

“ Minister ” means the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment;

“ Secretary General ” means the Secretary General of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

Duration of effect of Part 2 and related matters.

3 .— (1) Subject to this section, Part 2 has effect only for the period of 3 years from the commencement of this Act.

(2) The Minister may, by order made before the expiration of the period mentioned in subsection (1) or of any extension of that period under this subsection, extend that period or periods for a further period of 3 years if—

(a) both the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the Irish Business and Employers Confederation have requested the extension; and

(b) the Minister is satisfied that the continued operation of Part 2 would be conducive to the continued orderly conduct of industrial relations.

(3) If—

(a) on any day, Part 2 ceases to have effect in accordance with subsection (1), and

(b) on that day, any action remains to be taken under that Part in relation to a redundancy proposal in respect of which action had commenced to be taken under thatPart,

Part 2 continues in force to the extent necessary for completing the taking of that action, and any subsequent action provided for by that Part, in respect of that redundancy proposal and, for that purpose, the Redundancy Panel as constituted immediately before that day continues in existence for such time as is necessary for it to take any outstanding action in accordance with that Part.