Labour Court finds prima facie case against James O'Boyle Electrical Contractor

The Labour Court found a prima facie case that James O'Boyle trading as James O'Boyle Electrical Contractor had failed to comply with the Electrical Contracting Industry Registered Employment Agreement. In its decision dated 11 October 2007, the Court said it would seek information about the employer’s employees before considering the complaint in detail. The complaint was brought by the Technical, Engineering And Electrical Union (Teeu) under section 32 of the Industrial Relations Act, 1946. The employer argued that the agreement applied only to firms, not sole traders. The Court rejected that argument, finding the agreement covered electrical contractors and defined them as proprietors of businesses whose main activity is electrical work.