The Workplace

Work vs Employment Work is performing a task without payment e.g. washing the dishes for your parents Employment is working for payment e.g. washing dishes in a restaurant

The Labour Force Definition It does not include: All people who are available for work It does not include: Retired people People in full-time education Those who do not wish to work outside the home (housewives/house husbands)

Unemployment Reasons for unemployment Competition between businesses mean some firms have to close New technology replacing the need for workers Economy going through a recession Businesses moving to foreign countries for cheaper labour

Unemployment Help for the unemployed Job Seekers Benefit Retraining programmes by FAS Back-to-Work Programmes by FAS Additional social welfare benefits such as medical cards/fuel allowance/education supplements

Rights of Employees All employees have the right to: Safe, clean and healthy working conditions Fair wage for work done To be allowed statutory annual holidays Equal pay and equal promotion opportunities Membership of a trade union if they wish

Responsibilities of Employees All employees are obliged to: Do an honest day’s work Be punctual Obey all rules, regulations and instructions Protect employer’s property and stock Co-operate with other employees Work for the best interest of the firm Maintain confidentiality re business matters

Organisational Structure See Pg 202

Human Resource Manager Responsibilities Recruitment and Selection Pay & Bonuses Staff Training Staff Social Events

Procedure for hiring staff Draw up a job description Advertise the job Short-list candidates Interview candidates Select the most suitable candidate Inform the successful candidate Prepare a contract of employment Provide Training for new employee

Rights of an Employer To decide on the objectives and policies of the business To hire suitable staff To dismiss dishonest or unsuitable staff To expect loyalty from staff

Responsibilities of an Employers To make sure the workplace is safe and healthy To give employees a contract of employment in writing To give statutory holiday entitlements To pay agreed wages Not to discriminate when advertising, recruiting or promoting To give female employees maternity leave To give equal pay to men and women To deduct PAYE and PRSI and pay it to the Revenue Commissioners

Public vs Private Sector Public Sector Private Sector

Self Employment Benefits Disadvantages You are your own boss. You choose your own hours and make all the decision You keep all the profits Disadvantages You must provide the start up money You have unlimited liability You may have to work long hours You will not have all the skills required to run a business

Payment terms Basic Pay Gross Pay Net Pay Time Rate Piece Rate Commission Flexitime

Tax Credit A reduction in the amount of tax you have to pay Every person in Ireland who is eligible to work is entitled to a tax credit (Personal Tax Credit) PAYE workers get an additional tax credit Other tax credits are given for Widows Home carers Disabled Child Blind

PRSI Pay Related Social Insurance Benefits Jobseeker’s benefit Disability benefit Dental Benefits Optical benefits

Wages Book See Page 216 EmployeR’s PRSI is charged as percentage of gross pay.

Income Tax Forms P60 At the end of the tax year each employee receives a p60, which shows the amount of pay, as well as tax and PRSI deducted during the tax year P45 Given to an employee when leaving the firm. This shows the amount earned and how much tax and PRSI paid to date. It is given to your next employer

Trade Unions Definition Functions of a Trade Union A group of workers who join together to protect their interests and rights and who try to improve their working conditions and pay Functions of a Trade Union To protect the rights of its members To negotiate wages and salaries for members To negotiate conditions of work To negotiate with employers if a dispute occurs To protect members from unfair dismissal To negotiate in a redundancy situation

Trade Unions Types of Trade Unions Functions of a Shop Steward Teachers Unions: ASTI, TUI, INTO Civil Servant Unions: IMPACT General Unions: SIPTU Garda Union: GRA Functions of a Shop Steward Collects Union Subscriptions Communicates information to members from head office Communicates workers problems to head office Attends union meetings Discusses and resolves problems by talking to the managemet on behalf of workers

Industrial Relations

Trade Unions IBEC ICTU Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) Represents all trade unions together Negotiates with the government on behalf of all trade unions Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC) IBEC represents businesses in negotiations with trade unions and the government Government IBEC ICTU

Industrial Relations Main causes of disputes Pay and working conditions Dismissal of employees Redundancies Promotions Unfair treatment by management

Industrial Relations Types of Industrial Action Unofficial Strike Not approved by the union Official Strike Approved by the union All-Out Strike All unions in the firm stop working A Sit-in Employees sit in in the premises where they work Work-to-Rule Employees do they bare minimum at work. No extra duties are done Go Slow Employees do their work, but slowly During a strike workers will often picket the employer’s premises

How to resolve an Industrial Dispute Meet and talk The worker and the supervisor sit down and talk. If there is no solution..... Negotiation The shop steward and manager discuss the problem. If there is no solution.... Union Representation A union official and management sit down and discuss the problem. If there is no solution.... Conciliation The Labour Relations Commission will bring both parties together to talk about the problem and try to get a resolution. This is called conciliation. The LRC will not make a recommendation. If there is no solution.... Arbitration The dispute may go to the Labour Court, which is the court of last resort. Both parties agree to be bound by the recommendation of the Labour Court before the investigation begin. This is called arbitration

Equality in Employment It is illegal to discriminate on the grounds of marital status, gender, family status, religious belief, age disability, race, membership of the travelling community, sexual orientation Men and women must receive equal pay

National Wage Agreement This is a pay agreement between the social partners (ICTU, IBEC and the Government). It is binding on all employers and employees to implement the terms of the agreement The current agreement is “Towards 2016”