24th July 2025
The Minister of State for Small Business, Retail and Employment, Alan Dillon, today launched the fourth Strategy Statement of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) ‘A Decade of Impact, A Future of Fair Work and Equality’.
Over the previous Strategy Statement period (2022-2024), while its fundamental purpose and the services it provided remain unchanged, the WRC has dealt with broad operational and structural challenges and has been required to respond agilely to what has proved a sometimes challenging economic, social and statutory environment.
Through the newly launched Strategy Statement 2025-2027 ‘A Decade of Impact, A Future of Fair Work and Equality’ the strategic direction of the WRC must include proactive engagement with emerging labour dynamics, support for inclusive employment practices, and adaptive frameworks to maintain industrial harmony in a fast-evolving growing economy.
The strategic framework is built around four interlocking pillars ensuring the WRC continues to protect workers rights, resolve disputes, empower people with knowledge, and strengthen the WRC's capabilities through continuous improvement. These pillars support a vision of a just, inclusive, and equitable world for all in Irish society.
Minister of State for Small Business, Retail and Employment, Mr Alan Dillon said:
“I welcome the WRC’s Strategy Statement through which the WRC will seek to achieve its broader strategic vision over the next three years whilst continuing to effectively deliver its important statutory remit serving workers, employers, their representatives, its own staff, and wider society. The next decade will bring changes and challenges for the WRC and as we enter the second decade of the Commission, this framework strategy illustrates a vision and provides the next steps for the organisation which will embed and enhance its performance and services to the public into the short and medium term.”
Among the targets and objectives set by the strategy, covering the years 2025-2027, are:
- increase accessibility to services for all
- strengthen compliance in high-risk sectors
- improve efficiencies across all services
- build a modern, data-informed, adaptive and agile organisation
- strengthen resilience and build on positive culture
- launch and embed the Knowledge, Information and Advisory Division
- empower service user led resolution over imposed solutions.
Speaking on the Strategy, Dr David Begg, Chairperson of the Board of the WRC said:
"This document, “A Decade of Impact, A Future of Fair Work and Equality,” marks the WRC’s fourth strategic statement since its establishment on 1 October 2015. It reflects both our evolution over the past decade and our ambitions for the future—ensuring that the WRC remains a responsive, trusted, and forward-looking institution at the heart of Ireland’s labour market.
This strategy, which was informed through a deeply consultative process, is rooted in the lived realities of the work of the WRC and the evolving needs of its service users. It positions the WRC to lead confidently into the next decade – promoting fair and inclusive workplaces, enforcing employment rights, and fostering constructive industrial relations across Ireland.”
Ms Audrey Cahill, WRC Director General outlines in her Foreword that:
“As the Workplace Relations Commission enters its 10th year, we reaffirm our commitment to championing fairness, dignity, and equality in Irish workplaces. The next phase of our strategy builds on a decade of progress and is shaped by the evolving world of work, societal expectations, and importantly the needs of those we serve.
It is important that the strategic direction of the WRC must include proactive engagement with emerging labour dynamics, support for inclusive employment practices, and adaptive frameworks to maintain industrial harmony in a fast-evolving growing economy.”
Note for editors
The Strategy Statement is available at the following link: workplacerelations.ie/wrc/en/publications_forms/wrc-strategy-statement-2025-2027.pdf
Workplace Relations Commission
The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) was established in October 2015 under the Workplace Relations Act 2015. It is the body to which all industrial relations disputes and all disputes and complaints about employment laws are referred.
The functions of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) are to:
- adjudicate on employment and equality complaints and disputes
- provide conciliation, pre-adjudication mediation and other voluntary dispute resolution services to assist in the resolution of individual and collective disputes and maintain industrial peace
- monitor employment conditions to ensure compliance with and (where necessary) enforcement of employment rights legislation
- provide information on employment legislation, and process employment agency and protection of young persons (employment) licences
- provide advisory services to employers, employees and their representatives
Additional functions set out in section 11 (1) of the Workplace Relations Act 2015 include:
- promoting the improvement of workplace relations, and maintenance of good workplace relations
- promoting and encouraging compliance with relevant enactments
- providing guidance in relation to compliance with codes of practice approved under Section 20 of the Workplace Relations Act 2015
- conducting reviews of, and monitor developments as respects, workplace relations
- conducting or commissioning research into matters pertaining to workplace relations
- providing advice, information and the findings of research conducted by the Commission to joint labour committees and joint industrial councils
- advising and apprising the Minister in relation to the application of, and compliance with, relevant enactments
- providing information to members of the public in relation to employment
It has specific functions in resolving industrial disputes and implementing employment laws. More information is available on the Workplace Relations Commission website Workplace Relations Commission.
ENDS
For further information please contact the Press Office, Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, press.office@enterprise.gov.ie or (01) 631 2200.
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