Protection of Employment Act, 1977

Interpretation.

2.—(1) In this Act—

“authorised officer” means a person appointed by the Minister to be an authorised officer for the purposes of this Act;

“contract of employment” means a contract of service or of apprenticeship;

“employee” means a person who has entered into or works under (or, in the case of a contract which has been terminated, worked under) a contract of employment with an employer, whether the contract is for manual labour, clerical work or otherwise, is express or implied, oral or in writing, and “employer” and references to employment shall be construed accordingly;

“employees' representatives” means officials (including shop stewards) of a trade union or of a staff association with which it has been the practice of the employer to conduct collective bargaining negotiations;

“the Minister” means the Minister for Labour;

“prescribed” means prescribed by regulations under this Act;

“staff association” means a body of persons all the members of which are employed by the same employer and which carries on negotiations for the fixing of the wages or other conditions of employment of its own members only;

“trade union” means a trade union which is the holder of a negotiation licence granted under the Trade Union Acts, 1941 and 1971.

(2) In this Act a reference to a section is to a section of this Act unless it is indicated that reference to some other enactment is intended.

(3) In this Act a reference to a subsection is to the subsection of the section in which the reference occurs unless it is indicated that reference to some other section is intended.