Mr. Rob Kelly:

Of course we place value on the WRC because if negotiations break down locally then we can go to the WRC and negotiate. From my experience of the WRC, when employers do not want to engage they just do not and the issue gets kicked up to the Labour Court. Unfortunately, my experience in the Labour Court of almost two decades is that the environment has become very litigious. Plus, far more credence is given to the legal profession when they come to the Labour Court than to industrial relations practitioners. When one is in front of adjudication officers at conciliation then a greater effort is made to break down the differences between the parties but if employers do not want to engage then it feels like one is knocking one's head off the wall.