Employment rights legislation has grown in volume, scope and complexity since the 1970s and that complexity extends also to the mechanisms for inspection, enforcement and the resolution of conflict. Without in any way eroding the protection of workers, it is timely to look at the roles and procedures of bodies such as the rights commissioner service of the Labour Relations Commission and the Employment Appeals Tribunal; the mechanisms to deal with the resolution of conflict in situations where, for example, workers feel they are unable to exercise their rights; and the appellate mechanisms which come into play after the rights commissioners or the tribunal have made recommendations. In short, we need to look at the system of rights and responsibilities which has developed, often in response to EU initiatives, and which has been grafted on to existing institutions to ensure that the system is clear, coherent and user-friendly.