I propose to take Questions Nos. 444 and 445 together.
The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is an independent, statutory body under the aegis of my Department, established on 1st October 2015 under the Workplace Relations Act 2015. The WRC’s primary functions include the inspection of employment law compliance, the provision of information on employment law, mediation, adjudication, conciliation, facilitation, and advisory services.
Table 1 sets out the amount in unpaid wages that has been returned to workers following workplace investigations by the Workplace Relations Commission Inspectorate by sector, and value of wages, in 2023.
Table 2 sets out the number of inspections carried out by the Workplace Relations Commission in 2023, by NACE sector; the number of breaches detected, the type of breaches detected; and the counties in which the breaches were detected.
Table 1 - The amount of unpaid wages recovered by the WRC inspectorate in 2023
Sector
|
Cases
Closed
|
No in Breach
|
Incidence of Breach %
|
Employees
|
Unpaid Wages
|
Accounting & Financial Services
|
18
|
5
|
28%
|
324
|
€0
|
Activities of Households as Employers
|
5
|
1
|
20%
|
9
|
€0
|
Administration & Support
|
20
|
4
|
20%
|
2,420
|
€397
|
Advertising & Marketing
|
6
|
1
|
17%
|
36
|
€0
|
Agriculture
|
39
|
22
|
56%
|
3,237
|
€35,584
|
Arts, Entertainment & Recreation
|
59
|
23
|
39%
|
2,058
|
€46,423
|
Beverage Service Activities
|
222
|
119
|
54%
|
2,769
|
€159,077
|
Construction
|
223
|
55
|
25%
|
5,560
|
€109,893
|
Contract Cleaning
|
19
|
6
|
32%
|
11,497
|
€57,050
|
Education
|
21
|
12
|
57%
|
334
|
€20,231
|
Electrical Contracting
|
7
|
3
|
43%
|
439
|
€4,213
|
Employment Placement Agencies
|
20
|
8
|
40%
|
1,997
|
€61,822
|
Equine Activities
|
11
|
8
|
73%
|
30
|
€2,474
|
Fishing
|
76
|
25
|
33%
|
159
|
€25,394
|
Food Service Activities
|
1,558
|
910
|
58%
|
18,269
|
€565,409
|
Hair & Beauty
|
376
|
218
|
58%
|
1,567
|
€69,995
|
Hotels
|
123
|
70
|
57%
|
8,246
|
€105,343
|
Human Health & Social Work
|
111
|
25
|
23%
|
4,467
|
€2,984
|
Information & Communications
|
33
|
10
|
30%
|
3,812
|
€5,301
|
Legal Services
|
3
|
2
|
67%
|
9
|
€840
|
Manufacturing
|
42
|
18
|
43%
|
5,195
|
€12,111
|
Meat Processing
|
6
|
5
|
83%
|
495
|
€0
|
Mechanical Eng. Building Services
|
9
|
7
|
78%
|
177
|
€0
|
Mining & Quarrying
|
1
|
1
|
100%
|
12
|
€0
|
Other Accommodation
|
10
|
5
|
50%
|
137
|
€7,415
|
Other Service Activities
|
182
|
73
|
40%
|
21,894
|
€82,952
|
Postal & Courier Services
|
4
|
3
|
75%
|
115
|
€2,776
|
Professional Services
|
45
|
18
|
40%
|
5,463
|
€172,495
|
Public Administration
|
8
|
1
|
13%
|
632
|
€0
|
Real Estate Activities
|
2
|
0
|
0%
|
3
|
€0
|
Security
|
16
|
3
|
19%
|
203
|
€802
|
Transport
|
48
|
20
|
42%
|
1,570
|
€9,603
|
Travel & Tour Operators
|
2
|
1
|
50%
|
14
|
€1,200
|
Veterinary & Animal Health Services
|
9
|
5
|
56%
|
206
|
€3,619
|
Warehousing & Support Activities
|
1
|
1
|
100%
|
21
|
€0
|
Water Supply, Sewerage & Waste Remediation
|
4
|
4
|
100%
|
1,235
|
€0
|
Wholesale & Retail Trade
|
1,388
|
529
|
38%
|
28,508
|
€385,200
|
TOTAL
|
4,727
|
2,221
|
47%
|
133,119
|
€1,950,601
|
Table 2 - the number of inspections carried out by the Workplace Relations Commission in 2023, by NACE sector; the number of breaches detected, (See table 1 above); the type of breaches detected; and the counties in which the breaches were detected, in tabular form
County
|
Employment Agency
|
Employment Permits
|
Industrial Relations
|
National Minimum Wage
|
Organisation of Working Time
|
Paternity Leave and Benefit
|
Payment of Wages
|
Protection of Young Persons
|
Sick Leave
|
Workplace Relations
|
Terms of Employment
|
Other
|
Total
|
Antrim
|
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
6
|
Carlow
|
|
3
|
|
1
|
13
|
|
5
|
2
|
|
1
|
6
|
|
31
|
Cavan
|
|
18
|
|
16
|
132
|
|
23
|
15
|
2
|
|
58
|
|
264
|
Clare
|
|
3
|
|
3
|
53
|
|
25
|
10
|
2
|
|
41
|
|
137
|
Cork
|
|
17
|
2
|
13
|
204
|
|
73
|
33
|
6
|
10
|
160
|
|
518
|
Donegal
|
1
|
14
|
|
27
|
116
|
1
|
40
|
30
|
1
|
6
|
118
|
2
|
356
|
Down
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
Dublin
|
1
|
111
|
|
49
|
1131
|
|
247
|
94
|
16
|
3
|
447
|
|
2099
|
Galway
|
|
12
|
|
9
|
166
|
|
103
|
47
|
1
|
8
|
114
|
1
|
461
|
Kerry
|
|
4
|
|
4
|
94
|
|
41
|
28
|
6
|
4
|
84
|
|
265
|
Kildare
|
|
2
|
1
|
11
|
162
|
|
47
|
23
|
3
|
1
|
80
|
|
330
|
Kilkenny
|
|
3
|
|
4
|
54
|
|
18
|
5
|
|
1
|
30
|
|
115
|
Laois
|
|
1
|
|
7
|
19
|
|
12
|
1
|
|
2
|
13
|
|
55
|
Leitrim
|
|
3
|
|
11
|
35
|
|
14
|
17
|
|
3
|
37
|
|
120
|
Limerick
|
|
18
|
|
4
|
99
|
|
35
|
3
|
1
|
5
|
43
|
|
208
|
Longford
|
|
1
|
2
|
9
|
41
|
|
16
|
15
|
|
1
|
42
|
|
127
|
Louth
|
1
|
15
|
|
13
|
138
|
|
40
|
9
|
2
|
3
|
71
|
|
292
|
Mayo
|
|
1
|
1
|
17
|
98
|
|
41
|
26
|
|
3
|
99
|
|
286
|
Meath
|
|
9
|
|
5
|
173
|
|
35
|
13
|
4
|
|
83
|
|
322
|
Monaghan
|
|
4
|
1
|
2
|
57
|
|
9
|
13
|
2
|
1
|
32
|
|
121
|
Offaly
|
|
4
|
|
5
|
70
|
|
28
|
1
|
|
4
|
39
|
|
151
|
Roscommon
|
|
|
|
7
|
44
|
|
12
|
6
|
|
|
30
|
|
99
|
Sligo
|
|
7
|
|
16
|
69
|
|
26
|
32
|
2
|
7
|
54
|
|
213
|
Tipperary
|
|
1
|
|
5
|
100
|
|
20
|
17
|
2
|
3
|
51
|
|
199
|
Waterford
|
|
13
|
1
|
13
|
129
|
|
32
|
25
|
|
13
|
61
|
|
287
|
Westmeath
|
|
7
|
|
9
|
78
|
|
23
|
11
|
|
|
60
|
|
188
|
Wexford
|
|
13
|
|
14
|
220
|
|
78
|
24
|
2
|
5
|
101
|
4
|
461
|
Wicklow
|
|
8
|
|
4
|
67
|
|
19
|
8
|
|
7
|
37
|
|
150
|
Total
|
3
|
293
|
9
|
278
|
3563
|
1
|
1065
|
508
|
52
|
91
|
1992
|
7
|
7862
|