The European Public Limited-Liability Company (Employee Involvement) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2009

Disputes about the operation of an employee involvement agreement or the standard rules on employee involvement

20.—(1) Where—

(a)an employee involvement agreement has been agreed, or

(b)the standard rules on employee involvement apply,

a complaint may be presented to the Industrial Court by a relevant applicant who considers that the competent organ of a participating company or of the SE has failed to comply with the terms of the employee involvement agreement or, as the case may be, one or more of the standard information and consultation provisions.

(2) A complaint brought under paragraph (1) must be brought within the period of 3 months commencing with—

(a)the date of the alleged failure, or

(b)where the failure takes place over a period, the last day of that period.

(3) In this regulation—

“failure” means an act or omission;

“relevant applicant” means—

(4) Where it finds the complaint well-founded, the Industrial Court—

(a)must make a declaration to that effect, and

(b)may make an order requiring the SE to take such steps as are necessary to comply with the terms of the employee involvement agreement or, as the case may be, the standard rules on employee involvement.

(5) An order made under paragraph (4) must specify—

(a)the steps which the SE is required to take;

(b)the date of the failure;

(c)the period within which the order must be complied with.

(6) If the Industrial Court makes a declaration under paragraph (4), the relevant applicant may, within the period of three months beginning with the day on which the decision is made, make an application to the High Court for a penalty notice to be issued.

(7) Where such an application is made, the High Court must issue a written penalty notice to the SE requiring it to pay a penalty to the Department for Employment and Learning in respect of the failure, unless the High Court is satisfied, on hearing representations from the SE,—

(a)that the failure resulted from a reason beyond its control, or

(b)that it has some other reasonable excuse for its failure.

(8) Regulation 21 applies in respect of a penalty notice issued under this regulation.

(9) No order of the Industrial Court under this regulation has the effect of suspending or altering the effect of any act done or of any agreement made by the participating company or the SE.