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WRC recovered €2.1 million in unpaid wages

The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) recovered more than €2.1 million in unpaid wages from just over 5,100 completed inspections of employers last year, according to its annual report.

The figure for unpaid wages represented an increase from just under €2 million recovered in 2023.

Overall, the commission carried out 6,217 workplace inspections – down slightly from 2023. The inspections had a particular focus on minimum-wage compliance, commercial sea fishing, and a campaign against labour exploitation.

The report shows an increase of 6% in adjudication hearings compared with 2023, with 9,054 taking place – an average of 180 a week.

Conciliation success rate

The WRC says that its ideal division represented it in 13 High Court civil matters and was successful in two out of three judicial reviews directly against the WRC.

“Building on a trend over the last few years, in 2024 there was a significant reduction in litigation against the WRC,” director general Audrey Cahill writes in the report.

The commission says that the success rate of its conciliation service, which is involved in settling or preventing industrial relations disputes, remains above 85%.

During the year, the WRC published its Code of Practice on the Right to Request Remote and/or Flexible Working.

A code of practice on access to part-time working is expected to be completed this year.