Customer Service Charter

The Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) is an independent body established to provide a timely, inexpensive and relatively informal means for adjudication of disputes on employment rights under the various legislations that come within the Tribunal’s scope. It is our goal that customers using the service will be satisfied overall with the service they have received from the Tribunal.

Our Commitment to Our Customers

The EAT is committed to quality customer service. To deliver a service that is effective and efficient which at all times is courteous and with the minimum of delay. The Tribunal will respect the rights of all parties at all times in the delivery of service.

Enquiries

We are committed to

replying to written general queries received by letter, fax or e-mail within 15 working days of receipt of the request,
responding as promptly as possible to telephone calls: to identify ourselves to callers; to ensure confidentiality in dealing with calls; not to leave callers waiting on the phone and when necessary return calls to customers as soon as possible, and
dealing with all enquiries in a polite, courteous and fair manner.

Help us Help you

We can help you best if you;

provide any information, including reference numbers, that is relevant to your query,
follow any guidelines which you have been given or are online, and
treat our staff and other customers with courtesy and respect.

Access to our Services

We ensure that the Tribunal reception area and hearing rooms are clean, accessible and comply with occupational, health and safety standards. Please advise the Tribunal Secretariat if you require any special facilities when attending a Tribunal Hearing. Further information on this is available on the EAT Website (www.eatribunal.ie) and on EAT claim forms.

Trust

Ensure that you will be dealt with in a confidential manner.

Information

To provide accurate and up-to-date information that is easily understood by using simple and clear language,
To provide as far is feasible a "user friendly" application form for customers making application to the Tribunal,
To make available for inspection without charge a Register of determinations (decisions) of the Tribunal at our office in Davitt House, during normal working hours, and
To provide an informative and accessible website.

Advice

The Tribunal cannot advise on the merits of an application or a potential claim under the legislation.

A person who believes that their employment rights may have been breached can avail of a free information service from the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA). For more information visit www.employmentrights.ie or Lo-Call 1890 80 80 90

Feedback

We are committed to offering a high quality service in a helpful and fair manner and to evaluate the customer services we deliver. We welcome your comments, suggestions and views on any aspect of our servcie becaseu we believe that this will help us provice an improved service. Please let us know if you are particularly pleased with any aspect of our service and alternatively if our service falls short of what you consider to be acceptable. This can be done via email, our website (comment card), at a hearing or directly to the EAT (See 'Contact Us').

Claimants who receive decisions, which are not favourable to them, are advised that there is little to be gained from entering into correspondence with the Tribunal regarding the decision. The decision of the Tribunal on any question referred to it is final and conclusive, subject only to the right of any appeal by a dissatisfied party to the courts.

Our Commitment to Parties in a Dispute

The Tribunal is committed to providing an impartial hearing process in a professional and fair manner, to apply the principles of natural justice and reach a fair decision in accordance with the law.

Appeals

In order to enhance the processing of applications we will use email, where applicable, to all parties at any stage in the processing of any appeal.

Hearing Procedure

We are committed to

providing, as soon as possible, a tripartite member hearing which will operate procedures that are fair, transparent and as informal as possible,
using clear and simple language that avoids, as far as possible, legal jargon,
Operating hearing procedures in a manner that affords an opportunity to all parties to present their case, and
holding hearings in public. Applications can be made to have a private hearing if a public hearing would cause undue hardship/prejudice to a party or in anyway compromise security issues to either party.

To avoid hardship and further delay to customers, the Tribunal is committed to only allowing an adjournment of hearings in very exceptional circumstances.

Determinations (Decisions)

We will

produce a determination (decision) that includes a summary of the salient evidence given by all parties at the hearing,
where possible, provide a determination (decision) that is easily understood and, as far as possible, avoids legal jargon,
as soon as possible after the hearing, furnish the parties to the dispute with a copy of the Tribunal determination (decision). Copies of the Tribunal determination (decision) will be available to the general public 14 days after the issue of the determination (decision) to the parties, and
provide copies of the determination to the EAT website, excluding names of parties

How to make contact with the EAT

See 'Contact Us' under 'About Us'

Scope of Legislation covered by the Employment Appeals Tribunal

See full list of Legislation under 'About Us'