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10X REASONS (AND MORE) FOR GOOD EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS – A CONFERENCE
On Thursday 23 February 2023, we hosted our “10X Reasons and More for Good Employment Relations in NI” conference at Titanic Belfast.
This major stakeholder conference brought together employers, HR professionals, trade unionists and others to explore how we create a framework of best practice that will help turn the vision for a 10X economy into a reality through good employment relations.
Included on this page are some of the highlights of the event
Types of problems
Problems can arise in any workplace. Below are some examples, though not an exhaustive list. Employers, employees and their representatives may find it helpful to refer to the Labour Relations Agency's codes of practice, sample letters, flowcharts and guides. Our service is confidential and all our resources are free of charge to anyone working to prevent or resolve a workplace issue in Northern Ireland.
Early Conciliation
The Labour Relations Agency provides an Early Conciliation service following a change in NI employment law which took effect on 27 January 2020. This service helps to resolve workplace disputes in a legally binding way, without the need to take a case to the Industrial or Fair Employment Tribunal. Click below for more information or to make an Early Conciliation notification.
Steps to resolve
When there is an issue in the workplace, employers and employees have a number of options and steps they can take to resolve it, ranging from informal conversations to formal processes and procedures.
Trade unions
The Industrial Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1992 defines a trade union as “an organisation (whether permanent or temporary) which … consists wholly or mainly of workers of one or more descriptions and is an organisation whose principal purposes include the regulation of relations between workers … and employers or employers’ associations.
Employment Document Toolkit
Once you are registered you can unlock our free core employment guides to help you build documents, policies and procedures for your own organisation.
Customer Service
This page sets out how the Labour Relations Agency strives to deliver excellent customer service. It also provides the resources we use to support our work.
Who is an employee?
There are differences between ‘employees’, ‘workers’ and ‘contractors’. These differences in status can affect rights and responsibilities in the workplace.
Escalating unresolved issues
Some issues in the workplace cannot be resolved informally so it is important that there is a fair and clear escalation process where each side meets their responsibilities. The Labour Relations Agency can offer information, flowcharts and codes of practice to help. We also offer confidential and impartial conciliation, mediation and arbitration services to help parties resolve issues without needing to go to tribunal.
The Agency is a public body with statutory responsibilities so there is no charge for our services.