White Paper on The Journey Towards a ‘World Class’ Workplace Relations System – Where Are We?

In planning for the Stratis Employment Relations Summit - ‘2020 VISION’ on ‘Leading Employment Relations in a full Employment Economy’, on 28th November 2019, we considered it timely to consider the progress made in the journey towards a ‘World Class’ workplace relations system and to assess where are we now?

With effect from 1 October 2015, the Workplace Relations Act 2015 introduced widescale reforms to the long-established employment rights and industrial relations dispute resolution procedures. This established the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) as the body of first instance and confirmed the Labour Court as having the sole appellate jurisdiction with a further appeal on a point of law only to the High Court.

The white paper considers several key issues of practice and the implementation of those reforms for the operation of the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court. We have also set these issues in their wider context and in what should be a shared objective between stakeholders to support high quality employment. Our workplace relations system must operate successfully for all stakeholders and given the emergence of diverse engagement models.

We believe that in debating the issues raised in the paper, it will along with the views of others contribute to a wider and deeper understanding of:

Those changes which have had the most beneficial impact and those which have not had the impact as may have been intended?
Those further reforms which may need to be considered if our third-party workplace relations system is to become ‘world class’.
Those other changes as may be needed outside of the practice and procedure of our dispute resolution bodies (i.e. the WRC and the Labour Court) to help shape a World Class Workplace Relations System?

For further information or to share your feedback on any issues raised please contact the undersigned or any of the Stratis team.