A Review of Employment Law in Ireland, North and South

This article explores the evolution and current state of employment law across the two jurisdictions on the island of Ireland, a century after the 1920 Government of Ireland Act. Labour law, long debated for its legitimacy as a legal discipline, sits at the intersection of legal doctrine, political theory and social justice. The collapse of classical labour law models and the pressures of globalisation have further politicised the field. This study examines how partition and constitutional changes have affected shared legal origins, with a focus on statutory, constitutional and common law developments. It analyses collective and individual labour law, including health and safety, through the lens of historical and contemporary influences, such as Brexit and the Windsor Framework, highlighting how labour law continues to be shaped by broader social and political dynamics, creating both divergence and convergence across Northern Ireland and Ireland in response to changing domestic and international conditions.