The European Public Limited-Liability Company Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004

Made: 1st October 2004

Coming into operation: 8th October 2004

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PART I — GENERAL

Citation and commencement

1

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EC Directive and EC Regulation

2

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Interpretation

3

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PART II — REGISTRATION OF SEs AND THE REGISTRAR ETC.

The registrar

4

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Registration of an SE formed by merger in accordance with Article 2(1)

5

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Registration of the formation of a holding SE in accordance with Article 2(2)

6

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Registration of the formation of a subsidiary SE in accordance with Article 2(3)

7

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Registration of an SE by the transformation of a public company in accordance with Article 2(4)

8

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Registration of an SE formed as the subsidiary of an SE in accordance with Article 3(2)

9

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Registration of an SE on the transfer of its registered office to Northern Ireland in accordance with Article 8

10

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Certificate of the competent authority under Article 8(8)

11

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Registration of an SE

12

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Documents sent to the registrar

13

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Application of the 1986 Order to the registration of SEs

14

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False statements in documents sent to the registrar or the Department

15

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PART III — EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT

CHAPTER 1 — interpretation of part iii

Interpretation of Part III

16

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CHAPTER 2 — participating companies and the special negotiating body

Circumstances in which certain provisions of this Part apply

17

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Duty on participating company to provide information

18

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Complaint of failure to provide information

19

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Function of the special negotiating body

20

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Composition of the special negotiating body

21

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Complaint about establishment of the special negotiating body

22

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CHAPTER 3 — election or appointment of uk members of the special negotiating body

Ballot arrangements

23

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Conduct of the ballot

24

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Appointment of UK members by a consultative committee

25

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Representation of employees

26

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CHAPTER 4 — negotiation of the employee involvement agreement

Negotiations to reach an employee involvement agreement

27

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The employee involvement agreement

28

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Decisions of the special negotiating body

29

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Decision not to open or to terminate negotiations

30

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Complaint about decisions of the special negotiating body

31

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CHAPTER 5 — standard rules on employee involvement

Standard rules on employee involvement

32

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CHAPTER 6 — compliance and enforcement

Disputes about operation of an employee involvement agreement or the standard rules on employee involvement

33

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Penalties

34

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Misuse of procedures

35

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Exclusivity of remedy

36

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CHAPTER 7 — confidential information

Breach of statutory duty

37

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Withholding of information

38

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CHAPTER 8 — protection for members of the special negotiating body, etc.

Right to time off for members of the special negotiating body, etc.

39

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Right to remuneration for time off under regulation 39

40

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Right to time off: complaints to tribunals

41

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Unfair dismissal

42

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Subsidiary provisions relating to unfair dismissal

43

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Detriment

44

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Detriment: enforcement and subsidiary provisions

45

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Conciliation

46

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CHAPTER 9 — miscellaneous

Industrial Court proceedings

47

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Labour Relations Agency

48

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Restrictions on contracting out: general

49

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Restrictions on contracting out: Chapter 8

50

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Amendment of the Transnational Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 1999

51

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Existing employee involvement rights

52

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PART IV — EXERCISE OF MEMBER STATE'S OPTIONS UNDER THE EC REGULATION

Participation in the formation of an SE by a company formed under the law of a Member State whose head office is not in the Community (Article 2(5))

53

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Additional forms of publication of transfer proposal (Article 8(2))

54

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Extension of protection given by Article 8(7) to liabilities incurred prior to transfer (Article 8(7))

55

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Power of the competent authorities of a Member State to oppose a transfer on public interest grounds (Article 8(14))

56

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Power of the management or administrative organ of an SE to amend statutes where in conflict with employee involvement arrangements (Article 12(4))

57

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Power of the competent authorities of a Member State to oppose the participation of a merging company governed by its law on public interest grounds (Article 19)

58

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Minimum number of members of the management organ (Article 39(4))

59

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Minimum number of members of the supervisory organ (Article 40(3))

60

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Members of the supervisory organ to be entitled to require the management organ to provide certain information (Article 41(3))

61

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Minimum number of members of an administrative organ (Article 43(2))

62

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Timing of the first general meeting of an SE (Article 54(1))

63

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Proportion of shareholders of an SE who may require one or more additional items to be put on the agenda of any general meeting (Article 56)

64

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SEs subject to law on public limited liability companies as regards the expression of their capital (Article 67(1))

65

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PART V — PROVISIONS REQUIRED BY THE EC REGULATION

Publication of terms of transfer, formation and conversion (Articles 8(2), 32(3) and 37(5))

66

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Publication of completion of merger (Article 28)

67

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Publication of fulfilment of conditions for the formation of a holding SE (Article 33(3))

68

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Publication of other documents or information (Articles 8(12), 15(2), 59(3) and 65)

69

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Protection of creditors and others on a transfer (Article 8(7))

70

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Power of the Department where an SE no longer complies with the requirements of Article 7

71

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Review of decisions of a competent authority (Articles 8(14) and 19)

72

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PART VI

Competent authorities

73

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Enforcement of obligation to amend statutes in conflict with arrangements for employee involvement

74

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Records of an SE transferred under Article 8(11) or a public company ceasing to exist under Article 29(1) and (2)

75

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Application of statutory provisions to members of supervisory, management and administrative organs

76

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Register of members of supervisory organ

77

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Particulars of members to be registered under regulation 77

78

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The SE as a body corporate

79

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Notification of amendments to statutes of an SE and insolvency events (Articles 59(3) and 65)

80

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Accounting reference period and financial year of transferring SE

81

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Penalties for breach of Article 11 (use of SE in name)

82

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PART VII — PROVISIONS RELATING TO THE CONVERSION OF AN SE TO A PUBLIC COMPANY IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 66 OF THE EC REGULATION

Registration of a public company by the conversion of an SE

83

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Publication of draft terms of conversion

84

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Registration under the 1986 Order

85

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Effect of registration

86

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Records of a converting SE

87

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SCHEDULE 1 — FORMS

SCHEDULE 2 — PROVISIONS OF THE 1986 ORDER APPLYING TO THE REGISTRATION OF SEs

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4

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SCHEDULE 3 — STANDARD RULES ON EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT

Part 1: — Composition of the representative body

1

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2

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3

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4

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5

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Part 2: — Standard rules for information and consultation

6

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Part 3: — Standard rules for participation

7

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SCHEDULE 4 — MODIFICATIONS OF THE COMPANIES ACTS AND THE INSOLVENCY (NORTHERN IRELAND) ORDER 1989

Modifications applying before registration

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Modifications applying on or after registration

2

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3

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5

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Effect of registration

6

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7

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Use of “limited”

8

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Certificate as to share capital

9

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Fees

10

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Accounting reference date

11

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Signed

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment on 1st October 2004.

M. Bohill — A senior officer of the — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Employment and Learning on 1st October 2004.

R. Gamble — A senior officer of the — Department for Employment and Learning

Explanatory note

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Footnotes

[^f00001]: S.I. 2003/2901 and S.I. 1999/2788

[^f00002]: 1972 c. 68: as amended by the European Economic Area Act 1989 (c. 40)

[^f00003]: O.J. L294, 10.11.2001, p. 22

[^f00004]: O.J. L294, 10.11.2001, p. 1

[^f00005]: S.I. 1986/1032 (N.I. 6)

[^f00006]: S.I. 1996/1919 (N.I. 16)

[^f00008]: 1954 c. 33 (N.I.)

[^f00009]: Article 67A of the 1996 Order was inserted by Article 3 of the Public Interest Disclosure (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 (S.I. 1998/1763 (N.I. 17))

[^f00010]: Article 137 has been amended on a number of occasions to specify additional circumstances in which an employee dismissed by reason of redundancy is to be regarded as unfairly dismissed

[^f00011]: Article 140(1) was amended by S.R. 1999 No. 277

[^f00012]: Article 140(3) has been amended on a number of occasions to specify additional cases in which no qualifying period of employment is required

[^f00013]: Article 141(2) has been amended on a number of occasions to specify additional cases where the upper age limit does not apply

[^f00014]: S.I. 1996/1921 (N.I. 18). Article 20 has been amended on a number of occasions to specify additional proceedings and claims to which the Article applies

[^f00015]: S.I. 1999/3323

[^f00016]: S.I. 1989/2405 (N.I. 19)

[^f00017]: Article 104A was inserted by Article 8(3) of the Companies (No. 2) (Northern Ireland) Order 1990 (S.I. 1990/1504 (N.I. 10)) and amended by section 79(14) of, and Part II of Schedule 6 to, the Criminal Justice Act 1993 (c. 36) and by S.I. 2001/3649

[^f00018]: S.I. 1989/2405 (N.I. 19)