Minister for Labour Affairs Welcomes LRC Annual Report

The Minister for Labour Affairs, Mr. Dara Calleary T.D. today (Wednesday, 28^th October 2009) welcomed the publication of the Annual Report of the Labour Relations Commission for 2008.

In launching the Report, the Minister commended the Board and staff of the Labour Relations Commission for their work during the year and complimented the outgoing Chairman and members of the board. “The Commission has consistently devoted its considerable experience, skill and knowledge to delivering a high quality, highly respected and impartial service to its many customers,” he said.

The Minister noted the continuing high level of activity across all of the Commission’s services. In this context, the Minister congratulated the Commission on maintaining a high rate of settlement in industrial disputes – just over 80% of disputes referred to the Commission’s Conciliation Services Division were resolved at conciliation stage in 2008. “This high level of settlement rate at conciliation stage confirms the Service’s record of achievement in dealing with complex and challenging issues over the years.”

According to the Minister, Ireland’s voluntarist system of industrial relations is designed to help and support parties in their efforts to resolve their differences. “There is undoubtedly a risk of increased industrial relations conflict in the current difficult economic climate. This poses significant challenges for the dispute settling machinery of the State, including the Labour Relations Commission.”

Minister Calleary also noted that the number of referrals to the Rights Commissioner Service of the Labour Relations Commission continued to increase significantly. “In 2008, referrals to the Rights Commissioner Service increased by 21% over the previous year. This increase continues the trend of recent years, which continues to place huge strains on the Service.”

LRC Annual Report 2008 (5.32MB, PDF)