The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) recovered €1.4m in unpaid wages for employees last year, a 45% increase on the previous year.
The figures are contained in the WRC's annual report which showed that 5,820 inspection visits to workplaces were carried out in 2022 and from these, 5,700 specific contraventions of legislation were detected.
In December alone, almost 700 visits took place to ensure that employers and employees were aware of what needed to be done under the Tips and Gratuities Act that commenced that month.
4,253 hearings were heard by the WRC's Adjudication Service in 2022, a 28% increase on 2021.
Queries to the WRC were also up on previous years with its information line dealing with almost 60,000 calls and its website handling more than four million pageviews.
Welcoming the annual report, Minister of State for Employment Affairs and Retail Business Neale Richmond paid tribute to the former Director General of the WRC, Liam Kelly, who retired in March.
He also described 2022 as a very successful year for the WRC.
"As our economy continues to grow and we maintain effective full employment with over 2.57 million people at work in Ireland, we must ensure workers' rights are upheld," Mr Richmond said.
"In recovering €1.4m in unpaid wages in 2022, the WRC is playing a crucial role in this regard," he added.
The WRC’s Conciliation Service resolved 88% of disputes on which it conciliated during 2022.
The service also facilitated discussions which led to the extension of the Building Momentum public service pay agreement.
Overall, in 2022 there was a 30% increase in parties willing to engage in mediation.
"The WRC is in the relationship business. Specifically, we try to resolve problems in a way that preserves positive relationships between employers and employees in the workplace," said Dr David Begg, Chairperson of the Board of the WRC.
"That is why restoring face-to-face engagement in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic was a critical imperative achieved in 2022," he added.
