lrc_2015_act_16

(LRC Revised)

1 Articles / Provisions · Ireland

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LRC Revised Act

Workplace Relations Act 2015 (LRC Revised) Open official source

Number 16 of 2015

WORKPLACE RELATIONS ACT 2015

REVISED

Updated to 1 January 2026

Changes to legislation

as of 10 July 2026, this Act is up to date with all changes known to be in force.

This Revised Act is an administrative consolidation of the

Workplace Relations Act 2015

. It is prepared by the Law Reform Commission in accordance with its function under

the

Law Reform Commission Act 1975

(3/1975) to keep the law under review and to undertake revision and consolidation

of statute law.

All Acts up to and including the

National Training Fund (Amendment) Act 2025

(21/2025), enacted 23 December 2025, and all statutory instruments up to and including

the

European Union (Restrictive Measures concerning Iraq) Regulations 2026

(S.I. No. 1 of 2026), made 6 January 2026, were considered in the preparation of

this Revised Act.

Disclaimer: While every care has been taken in the preparation of this Revised Act,

the Law Reform Commission can assume no responsibility for and give no guarantees,

undertakings or warranties concerning the accuracy, completeness or up to date nature

of the information provided and does not accept any liability whatsoever arising

from any errors or omissions. Please notify any errors, omissions and comments by

email to

revisedacts@lawreform.ie.

Number

2015

WORKPLACE RELATIONS ACT 2015

REVISED

Updated to 1 January 2026

PART 1

Preliminary and General

Section

1. Short title and commencement

2. Interpretation

3. Construction of references to employer and employee

4. Regulations

5. Expenses

6. Service of documents

7. Offences

8. Repeals and Revocations

PART 2

Workplace Relations Commission

9. Establishment day

10. Establishment of Commission

11. Functions of Commission

12. Director General of Workplace Relations Commission

13. Resignation, removal or disqualification of Director General

14. Functions of Director General

15. Consultation by Director General with Board

16. Delegation of functions of Director General

17. Accountability of Director General to committees of Houses of Oireachtas

18. Membership of either House of Oireachtas or European Parliament

19. Acting Director General

20. Codes of practice

21. Strategy statement

22. Work programme

23. Reports to Minister

24. Staff of Commission

25. Registrar of Commission

PART 3

Enforcement

26. Inspectors

27. Powers of inspectors

28. Compliance notice

29. Report of inspector admissible in evidence

30. Inspection of employer’s records pursuant to direction of Labour Court

31. Disclosure of certain information

32. Disclosure of information relating to offences

33. Disclosure of certain information to or by contracting authority

34. Administrative cooperation by Commission and official bodies

35. Administrative cooperation with foreign statutory bodies on law enforcement matters

36. Fixed payment notices

37. Prosecution of offence under relevant enactments

PART 4

Complaints and Disputes

38. Mediation officers

39. Case resolution without reference to adjudication officer

40. Adjudication officers

41. Presentation of complaints and referral of disputes

42. Dismissal of claim by adjudication officer

43. Enforcement of decision of adjudication officer

44. Appeal to Labour Court from decision of adjudication officer

45. Enforcement of decision of Labour Court

46. Appeal to High Court on point of law

47. Disposal of complaints by written submissions only

48. Striking out of cases that are not pursued

49. Provisions relating to winding up and bankruptcy

50. Amendment of section 20 of Act of 1946

51. Offence to fail or refuse to pay compensation

52. Amendment of enactments

53. Certain decisions and recommendations of rights commissioners appealable to Labour

Court under section 44

53A. Performance of functions of rights commissioners after commencement of this

Part

PART 5

Dissolution of Labour Relations Commission

54. Definition

55. Dissolution day for purposes of this Part

56. Dissolution of Labour Relations Commission

57. Transfer of functions from Labour Relations Commission to Commission

58. Transfer of property of Labour Relations Commission to Commission

59. Transfer of rights and liabilities of Labour Relations Commission to Commission

60. Liability for loss occurring before dissolution day

61. Provisions consequent upon transfer of functions, property, rights and liabilities

to Commission

62. Final accounts and final annual report of Labour Relations Commission

PART 6

Dissolution of Employment Appeals Tribunal

63. Definition

64. Dissolution day for purposes of this Part

65. Dissolution of Employment Appeals Tribunal

66. Transfer of functions from Employment Appeals Tribunal

67. Transfer of property of Employment Appeals Tribunal to Labour Court

68. Transfer of rights and liabilities of Employment Appeals Tribunal to Labour Court

69. Liability for loss occurring before dissolution day

70. Provisions consequent upon transfer of functions, property, rights and liabilities

PART 7

Miscellaneous

71. Fees

72. Forgery of documents

73. Prohibition on unauthorised disclosure of confidential information

74. Amendment of section 21 of Act of 1946

75. Amendment of section 10 of Act of 1946

76. Amendment of Act of 1967

77. Amendment of section 2 of Act of 1969

78. Certain functions of Labour Court performable by chairman or deputy chairman of

Labour Court

79. Amendment of section 4 of Act of 1969

80. Amendment of Act of 1977

81. Amendment of Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) Act 1984

82. Amendment of Part VII of Pensions Act 1990

83. Amendment of Act of 1998

84. Amendment of Equal Status Act 2000

85. Amendment of section 5 of Protection of Employment (Exceptional Collective Redundancies

and Related Matters) Act 2007

86. Other amendments

SCHEDULE 1

Employment Enactments

PART 1

Acts of the Oireachtas

PART 2

Provisions of Acts of Oireachtas

PART 3

Statutory Instruments

SCHEDULE 2

Repeals and Revocations

PART 1

Acts of the Oireachtas

PART 2

Statutory Instruments

SCHEDULE 3

Workplace Relations Commission

SCHEDULE 4

Enactments Specified for Purposes of section 28

SCHEDULE 5

Provisions and Enactments Specified for Purposes of Part 4

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

SCHEDULE 6

Relevant Redress Provision

PART 1

Decisions of Adjudication Officers

PART 2

Decisions of Labour Court

SCHEDULE 7

PART 1

Amendment of Acts of the Oireachtas

PART 2

Amendment of Statutory Instruments

Acts Referred to

Adoptive Leave Act 1995

(No. 2)

Bankruptcy Act 1988

(No. 27)

Carer’s Leave Act 2001

(No. 19)

Central Bank (Supervision and Enforcement) Act 2013

(No. 26)

Charities Act 2009

(No. 6)

Chemicals Act 2008

(No. 13)

Civil Service Regulation Act 1956

(No. 46)

Civil Service Regulation Acts 1956 to 2005

Companies Act 1963

(No. 33)

Companies Act 1990

(No. 33)

Companies Act 2014

(No. 38)

Companies Acts

Competition Act 2002

(No. 14)

Consumer Protection Act 2007

(No. 19)

Courts Act 1981

(No. 11)

Criminal Justice Act 2011

(No. 22)

Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Act 2006

(No. 9)

Employment Equality Act 1998

(No. 21)

Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2011

Employment Permits Act 2003

(No. 7)

Employment Permits Act 2006

(No. 16)

Equal Status Act 2000

(No. 8)

Equality Act 2004

(No. 24)

European Parliament Elections Act 1997

(No. 2)

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Act 2009

(No. 41)

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2013

(No. 18)

Further Education and Training Act 2013

(No. 25)

Health Act 2004

(No. 42)

Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act 2001

(No. 11)

Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act 2012

(No. 32)

Industrial Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004

(No. 4)

Industrial Relations Act 1946

(No. 26)

Industrial Relations Act 1969

(No. 14)

Industrial Relations Act 1976

(No. 15)

Industrial Relations Act 1990

(No. 19)

Inland Fisheries Act 2010

(No. 10)

Interpretation Act 2005

(No. 23)

Local Government Act 2001

(No. 37)

Maternity Protection Act 1994

(No. 34)

Maternity Protection Acts 1994 and 2004

Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act 1973

(No. 4)

Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Acts 1973 to 2005

National Asset Management Agency Act 2009

(No. 34)

National Minimum Wage Act 2000

(No. 5)

Organisation of Working Time Act 1997

(No. 20)

Parental Leave Act 1998

(No. 30)

Payment of Wages Act 1991

(No. 25)

Pensions Act 1990

(No. 25)

Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act 2001

(No. 27)

Property Services (Regulation) Act 2011

(No. 40)

Protected Disclosures Act 2014

(No. 14)

Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) Act 1984

(No. 21)

Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) Acts 1984 to 2012

Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003

(No. 29)

Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act 2001

(No. 45)

Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Act 2012

(No. 13)

Protection of Employment (Exceptional Collective Redundancies and Related Matters)

Act 2007

(No. 27)

Protection of Employment Act 1977

(No. 7)

Protection of Employment Acts 1977 to 2014

Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act 1996

(No. 16)

Protections for Persons Reporting Child Abuse Act 1998

(No. 49)

Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004

(No. 33)

Redundancy Payments Act 1967

(No. 21)

Redundancy Payments Act 1971

(No. 20)

Redundancy Payments Act 1979

(No. 7)

Redundancy Payments Acts 1967 to 2014

Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005

(No. 10)

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2003

(No. 4)

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004

(No. 9)

Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2007

(No. 8)

Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005

(No. 26)

Taxes Consolidation Act 1997

(No. 39)

Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994

(No. 5)

Terms of Employment (Information) Acts 1994 to 2014

Trade Union Act 1941

(No. 22)

Transnational Information and Consultation of Employees Act 1996

(No. 20)

Unfair Dismissals (Amendment) Act 1993

(No. 22)

Unfair Dismissals Act 1977

(No. 10)

Unfair Dismissals Acts 1977 to 2007

Number

2015

WORKPLACE RELATIONS ACT 2015

REVISED

Updated to 1 January 2026

An Act to make provision as respects the resolution, mediation and adjudication of

disputes and complaints relating to contraventions of, or entitlements under, certain

enactments governing the employment relationship between employers and employees;

for that purpose, to provide for the establishment of a body to be known as the Workplace

Relations Commission; to provide for the dissolution of the Labour Relations Commission

and the transfer of its functions to the aforementioned body; to provide for the

dissolution of the Employment Appeals Tribunal and the transfer of its first instance

functions to the aforementioned body and its appellate functions to the Labour Court;

to provide for the transfer of the functions of the Director of the Equality Tribunal

to the aforementioned body; to provide for the repeal of certain enactments; to provide

for the amendment of certain enactments; and to provide for matters connected therewith.

[20

th May

, 2015]

Be it enacted by the Oireachtas as follows

Annotations

Modifications (not altering text)

Act applied with modifications (29.05.2020) by

European Union (Reporting, Analysis and Follow-up of Occurrences in Civil Aviation)

Regulations 2020

(S.I. No. 195 of 2020, reg. 7(2).

Redress for contravention of Article 16(9) of Regulation (EU) No. 376/2014

7. (1)(a) Subject to subparagraph (b) the Schedule applies in respect of a contravention

of Article 16 (9) of Regulation (EU) No. 376/2014.

(b) The Schedule shall not apply in respect of a contravention of Article 16 (9)

of Regulation (EU) No. 376/2014 where the report in relation to which the contravention

of Article 16 (9) is alleged is a protected disclosure within the meaning of the Protected

Disclosures Act 2014 (No. 14 of 2014).

(2) The Workplace Relations Act 2015 (No. 16 of 2015) shall, with any necessary modifications,

apply in respect of Article 16(9) of Regulation (EU) No. 376/2014 as if that Article

was a provision specified in Part 2 of Schedule 1 to that Act and Part 1 of Schedule

5 to that Act and, to the extent that that Act applies in respect of Article 16(9)

of Regulation (EU) No. 376/2014, a reference in the Act to employee shall be taken

to include a reference to contracted personnel and a reference to employer shall

be taken to include a reference to the organisation for which the contracted personnel

provide their services and those references shall be construed in accordance with

Regulation (EU) No. 376/2014 and section 3 of the Workplace Relations Act 2015 shall

be construed accordingly to the extent to which it relates to Article 16(9) of Regulation

(EU) No. 376/2014.