Press release
Announcement of new Director General of the Workplace Relations Commission
From Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney, has announced the appointment of Audrey Cahill as the new Director General of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).
Welcoming the appointment, Minister Coveney said:
"I am delighted to welcome Audrey to her new role as Director General of the WRC, a very important position in our industrial relations mechanism. I think Audrey’s experience in this area will be hugely beneficial and her stewardship will ensure that the WRC continues to deliver top quality mediation, adjudication and workplace relations services."
Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Neale Richmond, said:
"I want to wish Audrey every success in her new role and I look forward to working closely with her. Audrey comes to the position with a wealth of experience that will ensure the WRC can continue to protect workers’ rights and ensure that Irish workplaces are productive and fair for workers and employers alike."
The appointment follows an open, publicly advertised competition which was managed independently by the Public Appointments Service.
Audrey Cahill was a member of the board of the Workplace Relations Commission from 2015 – 2021. She has over 20 years experience across all aspects of HR, particularly in the areas of strategic change and transformation. She joins the WRC from UPMC where she held the position of Director of Human Resources. Audrey holds a BA in Human Resource Management and a MSc in Human Resource Strategies from DCU.
The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) was established in 2015 to deliver a modern, user-friendly and world-class workplace relations system in Ireland.
The Commission activities are primarily concerned both with facilitating and assisting workplace change and creating an environment of equity and fairness in employment. The specialist services of the Commission play a vital role in contributing towards industrial peace, maintaining and sustaining enterprise productivity through engaging with employers and trade unions on issues of employee pay and rewards, and promoting orderly collective bargaining in the private sector. Securing fair, impartial and effective employment rights adjudication services and appropriate and essential employment standards and enforcement are vital and important components of the strategic operations of the Commission.
The Commission has a broad range of functions including industrial relations advisory and conciliation services and the resolution of industrial relations disputes of interest between employers and workers across the public and private sectors. It provides a comprehensive early resolution, mediation and adjudication services in relation to the full spectrum of employment rights and equality cases. It carries out workplace inspections to ensure the employment rights of workers and responsibilities of employers are respected and it has an enforcement function in relation to breaches of employment legislation.
Section 12 of the Workplace Relations Act 2015 provides that the Minister shall appoint the Director General of the Workplace Relations Commission from among persons nominated by the Public Appointments Service following a competition held in accordance with the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004.
The responsibilities of the Director General include: