Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 section 68

Disqualifications

Section 68 sets out the circumstances in which a person is disqualified from receiving jobseeker's benefit.

• A person who loses employment due to a trade dispute at their workplace is disqualified from jobseeker's benefit for the duration of the stoppage, unless they find genuine alternative employment or were not involved in the dispute.
• Participants in the Community Employment scheme or the Rural Social Scheme are disqualified from receiving jobseeker's benefit during their participation.
• A disqualification of up to 9 weeks applies where a person loses employment through misconduct, voluntarily leaves without just cause, refuses suitable employment, fails to seek work, or receives redundancy payments above the prescribed limit (if under 55).
• Employment is not considered "suitable" if it arose from a trade dispute vacancy, or offers lower pay or worse conditions than the person's previous role or the district norm.