09 July 2026.
The WRC provides mediation under section 39 of the Workplace Relations Act 2015. This arises where an individual has referred an employment or equality complaint for adjudication to the WRC, and both parties have indicated agreement to participate in mediation to try to resolve the matter before an adjudication hearing takes place.
Insights from Mediation at the WRC: A Review of 1,000 Mediation Cases provides an in-depth analysis of 1,000 pre-adjudication mediations, both resolved and unresolved, completed between January and December 2025. The review covers telephone; in-person; and virtual mediation formats and highlights resolution rates; representation patterns; complaint types; and settlement data.
Key insights reveal differing settlement rates between mediation types; varying agreement rates across complaint areas; and no correlation between representation and outcomes.
- Telephone mediations showed the highest settlement rate at 67.2% compared to in-person mediations at 48.7% and virtual mediations at 49.5%.
- Unfair dismissal (29.9%); employment equality (18.4%); and pay (15.7%) were the most frequent complaint areas discussed at mediation.
- The highest settlement rates were achieved in minimum notice (67%); hours of work (66%) and terms and conditions of employment (58%), all of which are generally mediated by telephone. Of the more complex complaint areas, unfair dismissal shows a strong settlement rate of 56%.
- The representation rate for respondents (65.7%) is higher than that for complainants (42.5%). In all of the top ten complaint areas by volume, respondents were more likely to be represented compared to complainants.
- For both complainants and respondents who were represented at mediation, legal representation was the most common form of representation.
- Having representation was not a major predictor of successful mediation outcomes for either complainants or respondents.
- Settlement amounts vary by mediation format, with in-person and virtual mediations tending towards higher median values than telephone mediations.
- Our analysis shows that virtual mediations are more likely to take longer than in-person mediations.
Data is relation to these finding are explored in the report.
This review of WRC mediation cases is published for informational purposes only. Its key objective is to be an insightful, useful and practical resource for all stakeholders. The report does not purport to provide advice for users of the WRC pre-adjudication mediation service or adjudication service.
This content beyond fair usage requires prior permission from the Director General of the WRC. The WRC accepts no liability arising from any use or interpretation of the information contained in this document.
AI Statement
Microsoft Copilot was utilised to support the analysis of anonymised data. All results were subject to human review, interpretation, and approval to ensure accuracy, relevance, and appropriate use.