WRC dismisses Conor Ryan’s complaints against Department of Education

The Workplace Relations Commission dismissed Conor Ryan’s complaints against the Department of Education, finding that the department was not his employer. The decision, dated 13 August 2024, made no award. Ryan alleged he was owed pay increments for work in an acting Executive Officer role and was treated less favourably as a fixed-term worker, including when he was made redundant. The department argued that the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse employed him under a contract and directed his work. The adjudicator found that Ryan had been recruited directly by the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse and that the Department of Education was never his employer. The complaints, as submitted against the department, were found not well founded, with no case to answer.