5 Must Reads for the Weekend: 

1. Ireland leads the way on AI adoption 🤖
2. Councils can enforce firefighter retirement ages 🚒
3. Here’s what workers in Ireland earn on average 💶
4. Security guard wins €15,200 after raising safety concerns ⚖️
5. 81% of women say hormonal health affects work 🩺

And in other news… our Annual Review Session of the Week is here! Join Aisling Parkinson, Partner at Lewis Silkin LLP and occupational health specialist Dr Susan Hill for an engaging conversation on Reasonable Accommodation & Disability, including practical insights on neurodiversity and supporting employees at work. Find out more. 🚀 

DON'T FORGET: Hub subscribers get 2 free places at this Autumn’s Skill Builder for HR sessions. 💡

1. Annual Review of Employment Law: Session of the Week
2. Case Law Reviews
3. AI and Employment Law
4. Skill Builder for HR: Leading Change Effectively
5. Retirement Age
6. Labour Court quashes unfair dismissal compensation for employee following maternity leave
7. Data Protection
8. Industrial Relations
9. Govt to launch financial services employment strategy
10. Revealed: The average weekly earnings in Ireland this year
11. Just In Case You Missed It....
12. HR Developments
13. Employment News in the Media
14. Health and Safety Developments
15. Friends of Legal Island
16. Free Webinars This Month 

Session of the Week: Reasonable Accommodation and Disability: From Obligation to Opportunity

What does reasonable accommodation really look like in the workplace? Join Aisling Parkinson, Partner at Lewis Silkin LLP, and Dr Susan Hill, Medmark, for a practical look at employers’ obligations under Irish employment law, alongside the occupational health perspective. The session will also explore neurodiversity in the workplace, and how taking a proactive approach to accommodation can turn workplace challenges into opportunities.

FIND OUT MORE

Jargon‑free employment law insights that make your job easier

The must attend HR event of the year is back - 26 November 2026! 

Our Annual Review of Employment Law is the cornerstone event for HR professionals. Join us at the Talbot Hotel Stillorgan or tune in with coffee in hand from your desk. Either way, you’ll access the insights that matter most, brought to you by expert speakers.

EARLY BIRD RATE available until 24th September 2026 at 5:00pm.

BOOK YOUR PLACE

Fernando Oliveira v Ryanair DAC ADJ-00065101

Summary: WRC dismissed a Ryanair cabin crew worker's wage deduction claim, finding the deductions were contractually justified.

Practical Guidance for Employers: 

Employers should:

• Ensure employment contracts clearly and expressly authorise deductions for overpayments, excess annual leave, final-pay adjustments and recoverable sums. Any discretionary sick-pay scheme should state whether entitlement is suspended during disciplinary investigations. Before deducting money, confirm that the relevant contractual term existed and remained operative when the deduction arose.
  
  
• Ensure any payroll disputes are answered with a clear reconciliation connecting contractual provisions, accrued entitlements, payments, deductions and later adjustments. Calculations should show dates, gross and net figures, daily rates and the treatment of allowances. Written notice should be given before or with each deduction.
  
  
• Respond patiently and specifically to repeated objections, because contemporary explanations may become decisive evidence. Payroll should be checked independently before litigation, where the employer asserts that an employee owes money. Recovery proceedings should be considered separately from defending a WRC complaint.

Read the full Review here.

Kshitiz Agarwal v Jacobs Engineering Ireland Limited ADJ-00056689

Summary: Genuine redundancy survived imperfections in the consultation process.

Practical Guidance for Employers: 

Employers should:

• Demonstrate a genuine business rationale for the proposed redundancy. Where a particular business activity or specialism is being discontinued, contemporaneous documentation recording the commercial decision and its consequences can provide evidence that the redundancy concerned the position rather than the individual occupying it. An earlier voluntary severance proposal will not necessarily establish predetermination but ensure that subsequent consultation remains genuine and capable of affecting the ultimate outcome.
  
  
• Explain why the role is at risk, permit the employee to challenge the proposed rationale and meaningfully investigate alternatives to dismissal.  
  
  
• Don’t allow procedural laxity. A structured consultation process, reasonable redeployment efforts and a meaningful appeal remain important safeguards against an unfair-dismissal finding.

Read the full Review here.

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These case reviews were written by Patrick Barrett BL.

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

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

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New EGFSN report highlights Ireland’s leading role in AI adoption across the economy

The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) has published a new report, ‘The Irish Labour Market and AI in 2026’, setting out how AI is impacting the Irish labour market, noting strong demand for AI skills but also a robust pipeline of AI talent. Key findings include:

•    Ireland’s labour market is generating AI jobs at 2-3 times the pace of other EU countries
•    Demand for, and supply of AI-related talent, shows no signs of slowing
•    Risks centre on the uneven spread of AI across the economy.

You can read more here.

AI Recruitment: Why International CV Differences Still Matter

Artificial intelligence has transformed how employers source candidates, breaking down geographical barriers and opening access to talent from around the world. Yet while AI is making global recruitment faster and easier than ever, with 77 percent of HR teams using AI regularly, human assumptions about what a ‘good CV’ should look like are still causing businesses to overlook highly qualified candidates. HR Director looks at the global differences.

AI for HR Weekly Podcast with Barry Phillips 🎙️

Hub subscribers are beginning to request that our Chairman, Barry covers a particular AI topic in a future podcast. If you have a request, send it to him directly at barry@legal-island.com - he’ll feel like a DJ from the 80s…...🎧

You can tune into the latest episode right here - or, if you’re on the move, why not take us with you?

Listen on all major platforms: 🎧 Spotify or Apple Podcasts

Simply search for “AI for HR Weekly Podcast” and enjoy expert insights anytime, anywhere.

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Councils entitled to enforce firefighter retirement ages – Labour Court

A member of a retained fire service has had an award of €15,000 for age discrimination overturned as the rule requiring him to leave his role at 60 was deemed “appropriate and necessary”. Paul Curran had been a member of the Carlow County Council’s fire service for almost 40 years, Siptu told the Labour Court. You can read more about this from the Irish Times.

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The Labour Court has quashed an unfair dismissal compensation award of €27,500 made to a female employee after her return to work from maternity leave. Setting aside the €27,500 award and unfair dismissal ruling, Deputy Chairwoman of the Labour Court, Katie Connolly said that the court was satisfied that the termination of Ms Walsh’s employment “was unconnected to her pregnancy and absence from work on statutory protective leave”. More on this from the Journal.

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Irish High Court clarifies DSAR exemptions under the GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018

In the recent case of O’Brien v The Data Protection Commission and Ors [2026] IEHC 250, the High Court upheld the Data Protection Commission’s (“DPC”) decision that an organisation was entitled to rely on certain exemptions contained in the Irish Data Protection Act 2018 (the “2018 Act”) to refuse a data subject’s access request (“DSAR”). The team from Matheson explains why this judgment is a welcome development for organisations relying on Irish statutory exemptions when dealing with DSARs.

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Aer Lingus jobs cuts plan vague, says cabin crew union

Aer Lingus has not given enough information on proposed jobs cuts to begin redundancy talks, cabin crew trade union Fórsa said. The airline is seeking to lay off up to 500 workers, 70 pilots, 140 cabin crew and 290 head office staff to cut costs and meet targets set by its owner, International Airlines Group (IAG). More from the Irish Times.

TUI to ballot teachers for industrial action

The union says the Department of Education and Youth has failed to pay a 1% salary increase, due as part of a set of Senior Cycle Redevelopment Implementation Support Measures that TUI members accepted in May 2025. If accepted by members, the industrial action will involve as an initial measure the suspension of involvement and co-operation with all elements of Additional Assessment Components practical and project-based assessments that form part of the Senior Cycle redevelopment process. RTÉ has more.

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The Government will launch a strategy to grow employment in the international financial services sector to 70,000 by 2030, with one in four of the jobs located outside of Dublin. The sector's 600 firms currently employ around 61,000 people across the country. RTÉ has more here.

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Workers are earning around €40 more per week on average compared to this time last year. Figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show average weekly earnings in the second quarter were €1,046.88, up 3.9% from €1,007.58 during the same period in 2025. Business Plus has more on this story.

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The Employment Law Hub is a comprehensive, jurisdiction-specific resource designed for HR professionals, legal advisors, and business leaders. It centralises essential employment law and HR updates, expertly curated and written by leading HR and legal specialists to provide reliable, practical, and authoritative insights. We have over 700+ in depth articles and 1000+ case law reviews. As a subscriber, you have access to all of this. Check it out the full Hub here and below are some recent articles you may have missed.....

Employment Equality Complaints After Resignation: How do I handle it?

A quiet but important line of reasoning has emerged from recent decisions of the Workplace Relations Commission concerning the maximum compensation available under the Employment Equality Act 1998 to complainants who have resigned from their employment before lodging a complaint with the WRC. Isabelle Mannix, Solicitor at RDJ LLP has more in this month's How Do I Handle It series. 

Pause, Proceed or Separate? Managing a Grievance Raised During a Disciplinary Process 

Managing a disciplinary process may initially appear straightforward where an employer has established policies and procedures in place. However, the process can become more complicated where an employee raises a grievance while the disciplinary matter is ongoing. Read more from Caroline Reidy, Head of HR Solutions, NFP.

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Hormonal health impacts working lives of women in Ireland

81% of women say hormonal health affects their working lives, with gaps in workplace support for menstruation, fertility and menopause. More from Think Business.

Toxic Workplace Behaviour: Why Employers Struggle to Make Change Last

HR Director reports on new research which reveals why toxic workplace behaviour keeps returning and how employers can help managers tackle negativity, disruption and workplace conflict.

Five skills for managing difficult conversations

Many grievances begin with a difficult conversation that never happened: feedback withheld, tension ignored, or a performance concern left unspoken. By the time the issue reaches HR, the opportunity to resolve it early may have passed. HR Director provides guidance.

Want to know more on managing difficult conversations.....

Following the remarkable impact of Luke Monahan's leadership programme in Legal Island, we knew this was a conversation that needed to reach a wider audience. Join one of the industry's most respected leadership coaches at our Annual Review of Employment Law event on 26th Nov as he reveals strategies to help top leaders manage challenging conversations with authenticity and crucially, effectiveness. View the full programme here.

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This week, as schools returned for the new academic year, Burke was back on the grounds of the school he once taught at. Burke was dressed in his familiar school attire of navy trousers and a navy jacket as he was spotted by the door of the school on Thursday morning. It comes not long after it was revealed the teacher owes a total of €208,268.17 in fines. Catch up.

The Unite trade union has said that its members in the public sector have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action if the Government fails to make a meaningful offer on pay. Yesterday, the Prison Officers Association said its members have also backed industrial action over the same issue. Similar ballots have also been announced by other public sector unions including Fórsa, SIPTU and the INMO. The previous public sector pay deal expired on 30 June, and formal talks have yet to begin on a successor agreement. Read more.

The Journal reports a Dublin civil servant accused of leaking sensitive government information to a hostile foreign power now faces extra charges, including breaking the Official Secrets Act. Yevgen McKeeffe, originally from Ukraine but with Irish citizenship, had been arrested at the departures area in Dublin Airport on 28 May, attempting to leave the country carrying €5,650 and a one-way ticket.

A Brazilian language student who took a job as a live-in au pair but was fired after 18 weeks, after protesting about the amount of work she was asked to do, has been awarded more than €10,000 by the WRC. In her account of the following few months, which adjudication officer Pat Brady described as “harrowing”, she said she was also persistently asked to work Sundays and took to sleeping on the couch of a friend on Saturday evenings in an effort to avoid it. More from the Irish Times.

Breaking News reports a security guard who raised safety and compliance concerns at an International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centre has been awarded €15,200 after the WRC found he was unfairly dismissed and penalised for making protected disclosures. The company said he was sacked for gross misconduct, including allegedly entering the apartment of a female resident at the Ballisodare IPAS centre alone and without a body camera.

Airline EasyJet has launched a new recruitment drive, aiming to hire more older workers as cabin crew. Since launching an initiative to recruit older workers in 2022, the number of cabin crew over the age of 50 has now more than doubled, with over-60s almost quadrupling in number, the company said. You can read more on this from RTÉ.

A voluntary redundancy scheme in RTÉ failed to deliver the number of departures needed by the broadcaster to meet plans for staff cuts. An internal analysis said substantial work had been put into preparing early exit packages for staff, but only a relatively small number eventually received offers. It said there were challenges with the running of the voluntary exit programme, including a narrow window to apply that placed too much strain on people considering whether to leave. More from the Irish Times here.

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Health & Safety Authority Annual Report 2025 - Key takeaways for employers

Ireland’s Health & Safety Authority has published its annual report for 2025. In addition to helpful insights into the key risk areas for health & safety and chemicals, it also contains helpful information and recommendations for employers to comply with their obligations. The scope of the report is wide-ranging. Mason Hayes & Curran's Health & Safety team has prepared a useful summary of some key issues for employers to be aware of. Read the summary here. 

81% of women say hormonal health affects their working lives

More than eight in 10 women in Ireland say hormonal health has affected their working lives, according to new research from The Menopause Hub and Core Research that highlights significant gaps in workplace support for women’s health issues. The study, described as the first national survey examining the impact of hormonal health across women’s full working lives, found that 81% of women reported some impact on their careers, with 62% saying the effect was moderate or significant. Think Business has more on this.

School principals suffer from 'stress and burnout' due to high demands of role, new study finds

Burnout and exhaustion is rife amongst school principals new research suggests, as it finds many are working upwards of 50 hours weekly.  New research from Dublin City University (DCU) has found more than four in five (86%) principals are experiencing moderate to high levels of work-related burnout. The Irish Examiner has more.

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FLAC is seeking volunteers for legal advice clinics

The Free Legal Advice Centre (FLAC) is looking for solicitors and barristers who are qualified to practise law in Ireland to volunteer in its free legal advice phone clinics. More information and expression of interest form here. 

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Missed our webinar? Catch up on demand: New Rules on Retirement Age, What Employers Need to Know

Sponsored by HRLocker

Ireland's new contractual retirement age framework is now in force, bringing significant changes for employers.

In this webinar, Laura McKee from Legal Island is joined by Anne O'Connell of Anne O'Connell Solicitors to explain what the new rules mean in practice, including retirement procedures, employee requests to work beyond retirement age, and the steps employers should take now.

Watch the recording HERE or listen to the podcast.

Check out previous discussions:
Legal Island's Webinar & Podcasts

Enjoy the weekend!

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