Industrial Court appointments announced

Date published: 04 May 2023

The Department for the Economy has announced the appointment of a new Chair and four new members to the Industrial Court and extensions to the second terms of four existing members.

SERC Governing Body members
SERC Governing Body members

Mrs Sarah Havlin has been appointed to serve as Chair. Mr Philip O’Rawe and Mrs Geraldine Alexander have been appointed to serve as Employee/Worker members and Mrs Sinéad Sharpe and Mr Damien McQuillan have been appointed to serve as Employer members. All appointments took effect from 1 April 2023 and are for a period of five years.

In addition, the tenure of Ms Barbara Martin has been extended by 12 months to 31 March 2024 and the tenures of Mr Robin Bell, Mr Patrick Masterson and Miss Patricia O’Callaghan have been extended by 24 months to 31 March 2025.

The Industrial Court is responsible for the resolution of disputes arising from statutory trade union recognition for collective bargaining purposes and employee information and consultation rights.

The appointments have been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland Code of Practice.

Notes to editors: 

1. Pen pictures are available on the department’s website.

2. The Industrial Court is a Tribunal Non-Departmental Public Body which has its origin in the Industrial Courts Act 1919.

3. The Court comprises a Chair, a panel of members with experience as employers’ representatives, and a panel of members with experience as workers’ representatives.  A Deputy Chair may also be appointed.  The overall responsibility for the Court’s work rests with the Chair. It works through panels consisting of the Chair or the Deputy Chair, and one member drawn from each of the other two groups.

4. Court appointments are not regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments (CPANI), although appointments adhere, as far as possible, to the CPANI Code of Practice.

5. All appointments are made on merit, and political activity plays no part in the selection process. In accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for the political activity of appointees to be published.

6. The rate of remuneration for the Chair is £537.46 for seven hours or £76.78 for one hour, while that for a member of the Court is £305.52 for seven hours or £43.65 for one hour, spent on Court activities. Members are also eligible to claim allowances, at Northern Ireland Civil Service rates, for travel and subsistence costs necessarily incurred on Court business.

7. For media enquiries contact the Department for the Economy Press Office by email at pressoffice@economy-ni.gov.uk.

8. To keep up to date with news from the Department you can follow us on the following social media channels:

9. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

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