(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Industrial Relations Acts, 1946 to 1990, at the request of a trade union, the Court may, subject to this Act, investigate a trade dispute where the Court is satisfied that -

(a) it is not the practice of the employer to engage in collective bargaining in respect of the grade, group or category of workers who are party to the trade dispute and the internal dispute resolution procedures (if any) normally used by the parties concerned have failed to resolve the dispute,

(b) either -

(i) the employer has failed to observe -

(I) a provision of the Code of Practice on Voluntary Dispute Resolution under section 42 of the Industrial Relations Act 1990 specifying the period of time for the doing of any thing (or such a provision of any code of practice amending or replacing that code), or

(II) any agreement by the parties extending that period of time,

or

(ii) the dispute having been referred to the Commission for resolution in accordance with the provisions of such code, no further efforts on the part of the Commission will, in the opinion of the Commission, advance the resolution of the dispute and the Court has received a report from the Commission to that effect,