Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is an independent, statutory body under the aegis of my Department, established on 1st October 2015 under the Workplace Relations Act 2015. The Commission’s primary statutory functions include the inspection of employment law compliance, the provision of information on employment law, mediation, adjudication, conciliation, facilitation and advisory services.

The Inspectorate Division of the WRC carries out inspections of employer records with a view to determining compliance with employment law. These inspections arise:

- In response to complaints received of alleged non-compliance with relevant employment rights legislation.

- As part of compliance campaigns which focus on compliance in specific sectors or specific pieces of legislation; or

- From routine inspections (announced and unannounced) which act as an overall control measure.

The aim of the WRC Inspectorate is to achieve voluntary compliance with employment law through the provision of education and awareness, inspection of employers’ employment records and enforcement where necessary. While every effort is made to secure compliance, some employers either refuse or fail to rectify the breaches identified and/or pay money due to their employees. These cases are referred for prosecution. The table attached sets out the number of prosecutions initiated by the WRC in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Table setting out the number of Prosecutions initiated by the WRC 2018-2020