proposed negative changes to work contract benefits- what are my rights?

[Joeneill73]

Hi folks,
I've worked in the same company for the past 8 years in dublin -roughly 2 yrs ago, our parent compnay, based overseas, acquired a similar business to our own and effectivly sought to combine both into one entity- this happened worldwide, and the "merger" in Ireland happened in mid 2024.

Our HR dept are now requesting we agree to a change in our health/dental benefits, removing dependents and spouses from our contract cover, they say to bring in line with the rest of the staff from the merged company.
we had signed an agreement that our benefits wouldnt be chngaed prior to the merger and yet this is happening now
There is an implication that if we dont agree to this change our Bonus and possible future pay increases would be drastically affected.
What are my legals rights in this regard- the offset they are offering is nowhere near enough to compensate for the loss of health/dental cover for my wife and son.

any help on this is greatfully accepted

 

[Salvadore]

The terms and conditions of your contract can’t be amended without your consent.

In the absence of a signed agreement, a company would be acting unlawfully if it sought to unilaterally remove or otherwise amend a contractual provision.