Defence (Amendment) Act, 1990

Representative associations.

2.—(1) Subject to section 3 of this Act, the Minister may provide by regulations for the establishment of an association or associations (in this Act referred to as an “association”) for the purpose of representing members of such rank or ranks of the Defence Forces as may be specified in the regulations in relation to matters affecting their remuneration and such other matters as the Minister may specify in the regulations, but excluding matters relating to any operation and the raising, maintenance, command, constitution, organisation and discipline of the Defence Forces under the Principal Act and offences in relation to the Defence Forces and military property under that Act.

(2) An association shall represent under subsection (1) of this section only members of the association.

(3) An association shall be independent of and shall not, without the consent of the Minister, be associated with or affiliated to any trade union or any other body.

(4) A member shall not become or be a member of a trade union, or of any other body (other than an association), which seeks to influence or otherwise be concerned with the remuneration or other conditions of service of members.

(5) The Minister shall determine any question that arises as to whether any trade union or any other body is a trade union or body to which subsection (4) of this section applies.

(6) The Minister may provide by regulations for the establishment of a system of conciliation and arbitration in respect of such matters, in relation to which an association represents members, as the Minister may specify in the regulations.

(7) Regulations under this section may provide for such ancillary, subsidiary and connected matters as the Minister considers necessary or expedient.