For those who are interested or who appear regularly before the Workplace Relations Commission (“WRC”), updated guidelines from the WRC were recently published in December 2021.
Amongst the new changes is the requirement for both parties to a case to submit any documentation they intend to rely on at a hearing within 15 working days of the scheduled date of the hearing. This is to ensure fair procedures for all parties. In the event documentation is not submitted on time, the Adjudication Officer can decide whether to allow any evidence submitted late to be admitted. In our opinion, this has always caused difficulties pre hearing when generally parties don’t lodge submissions on time and both sides are effectively left scrambling and often reviewing large amounts of documentation the night before or on the morning of a hearing. This can often result in an application for an adjournment and a prolonged wait for a new hearing date. It is hoped this change will be adhered to
The new guidelines contain further clarification on how to apply for adjournments and the circumstances in which they may be refused as well the naming of parties in WRC published decisions.
The WRC website continues to be an excellent source of information on employment rights and entitlements. A copy of the new guidelines can be found in the link below:
