Labour Court recommends Air Liquide Healthcare Ireland recognise Unite the Union

The Labour Court recommended that Air Liquide Healthcare Ireland recognise Unite The Union as the representative of employees who join it for industrial relations purposes. It also recommended negotiations towards a collective agreement and engagement with the Workplace Relations Commission’s Advisory Service beforehand. The recommendation was signed on 21 February 2018. Unite The Union said employees wanted representation on their terms and conditions and cited recognition and collective bargaining agreements with Air Liquide in the UK. Air Liquide Healthcare Ireland said it engaged directly with staff through employee forums and allowed workers to bring a colleague or union representative to disciplinary and grievance procedures. The Court noted that Unite represented workers in technical and administrative roles and that company officials had accompanied members in individual grievances, while the company continued to refuse collective engagement.