(1) Within 16 days of receiving a request under section 7, the Labour Court shall -

(a) hold a hearing into the matter, and

(b) either -

(i) issue to the Minister its opinion whether the proposed collective redundancies are exceptional collective redundancies, or

(ii) report to the Minister that, by reason of subsection (2), it is unable to issue an opinion, specifying in the report the circumstances attracting the operation of that subsection.

(2) The Court may not issue an opinion under subsection (1) unless it is satisfied that, in relation to the relevant proposal -

(a) the party from which the reference to the Panel was received has unsuccessfully sought to resolve the matter through local engagement, that is, all or any of the following:

(i) established dispute-resolution procedures;

(ii) procedures in place, or availed of by custom or usual practice, in the employment concerned;

(iii) ordinary consultative procedures,