Updated

Updated · Law Society of Ireland Gazette · Jul 6

WRC Extends E-Complaint Timeout to 2 Hours as 10,500 Cases Deepen Capacity Strain

Updated

Updated · Law Society of Ireland Gazette · Jul 6

WRC Extends E-Complaint Timeout to 2 Hours as 10,500 Cases Deepen Capacity Strain

1 articles · Updated · Law Society of Ireland Gazette · Jul 6

Complaint applications rose 44% to just over 10,500 in 2025 while WRC decisions fell, leaving parties waiting about six months on average for a first hearing date, a legal webinar heard.
To ease the backlog, the WRC is urging earlier notice on witness or counsel unavailability, timely submissions and August hearings, though postponed cases in that month will not be backfilled.
Recent WRC guidance on AI tells practitioners it will treat all submissions as their own, even if AI was used; lawyers said disclosure is not mandatory but is likely the safer, more transparent course.
The WRC also changed its e-complaint form to time out after two hours instead of 30 minutes and said solicitors can seek help recovering lost data as guidance for representatives is updated.
The webinar also flagged wider employment-law trends, including Labour Court rulings on statutory sick pay conditions, discretionary bonuses in unfair-dismissal awards and a €40,000 discrimination award now under appeal.

Sources

As courts mandate AI disclosure, why does Ireland's overwhelmed WRC offer conflicting advice, creating a legal minefield for practitioners?

With complaint backlogs soaring, are massive whistleblower awards and multi-million euro tax settlements the new normal for Irish employers?

Is the WRC's 44% complaint surge a sign of an empowered workforce or an employment relations system on the brink of collapse?

1 total