Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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143. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will consider making recommendations made by the Workplace Relations Commission obligatory to be honoured where it finds against a body which is State-funded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54010/22]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and the Labour Court are independent offices of my Department. Industrial Relations Recommendations arising from the WRC and the Labour Court are not legally binding. Therefore, the State cannot compel a party to comply with a recommendation issuing from the WRC.

It is important to emphasise that Ireland’s system of industrial relations is essentially voluntary in nature and that responsibility for the resolution of industrial disputes between employers and workers rests in the first instance with the employer, the workers and their representatives.

For its part, the State provides the industrial relations dispute settlement mechanisms to support parties in their efforts to resolve their differences.

While I would strongly encourage parties to comply with Recommendations, the ultimate responsibility for the resolution of industrial disputes between employers and workers, rests with the employer, the workers and their representatives.