In light of current public health advice and today’s government decision, the WRC will postpone physical face-to-face adjudication, conciliations and mediation meetings scheduled for Lansdowne House, Dublin during the week beginning 21st September 2020 in accordance with Government advice.
The decision by the Government to impose Level 3 restrictions on Dublin means that the WRC needs to postpone all face-to-face hearings scheduled in Dublin for the week commencing 21st September 2020. We will be in contact with the parties/representatives of these scheduled hearings. We will continue to review our hearings and meetings scheduling to ensure that they are conducted in line with public health guidance and return to work protocols and a further update will issue in this regard.
The decision to postpone these hearings/meetings reflects current advice, that where possible, travel from Dublin to other counties and from other counties to Dublin should be avoided.
Over the past number of months, following engagement with its stakeholders, the WRC has introduced a service delivery matrix which combines a mixture of dealing with complaints by way of remote “virtual” hearings and, in line with health guidelines and the Roadmap to Opening Society and Business, providing of face to face hearings for a restricted timeframe in WRC premises with effect from 20 July 2020.
We are continuing to ask parties and representatives to be positively disposed to complaints being adjudicated upon via both written proceedings and remote hearings.
The approach taken to date has been to ensure that we maintain critical and essential WRC Adjudication, Mediation and Conciliation hearings and meetings.
Remote Hearings and Face to Face Hearings outside Dublin
The WRC will continue face-to-face adjudication hearings that have been scheduled outside Dublin. However, we will keep these under continual review considering specific public health guidance.
The WRC will also continue remote/virtual hearings scheduled. We ask that parties/representatives would be positively disposed to remote/virtual hearings. Please contact pru@workplacerelations.ie stating the party names and the adjudication file reference number if you would wish the hearing to be scheduled to take place remotely.