Recruitment Eire

LABOUR LAWS IN IRELAND

A non-national working in Ireland is entitled to the same full range of statutory employment rights as a native Irish employee. Detailed below are just two aspects of these lengthy regulations covering wages and annual leave.

Under the National Minimum Wage Act 2000, an experienced adult employee is entitled to a minimum wage of €7 per hour. An experienced adult employee is someone who has been in employment for two years from the date they were first employed when they were over the age of 18. Other categories of employees may receive lower rates.

The employer must provide a written statement of your gross wages detailing all deductions made with your wages as soon as possible after the money transfer has taken place.

The maximum average working week is 48 hours averaged over four, six or twelve months. You are entitled to a minimum of 11 consecutive hours rest per 24 hour period: one period of 24 hours rest per week, preceded by a daily rest period (11 hours): 15 minutes break where more than 4 ½ hours have been worked, and 30 minutes for 6 hours. You are entitled to overtime payments or paid time off in lieu for Sunday work.

The minimum annual leave entitlement is 4 working weeks paid annual leave per annum. Full time employees earn one week of paid leave for every three months worked. If you work 1365 hours in a leave year then you have earned your four week entitlement at that point. Part time workers are entitled to 8% of the hours worked, up to a maximum of 4 weeks per annum.

You are also entitled to 9 public holidays during the year. Your employer may ask you to work and give you the following options: a paid day of on the actual day, or a paid day off within a month or an extra day of paid annual leave or an extra day's pay.

The public holiday dates in Ireland are January 1st, St Patrick's Day, Easter Monday, first Monday in May, first Monday in June, first Monday in August, last Monday in October, Christmas Day and St Stephen's Day. A part time worker must work at least 40 hours in the five week period preceding the holiday to qualify for the day off. If the public holiday falls on a day when the employee does not normally work, then they are entitled to one fifth of their normal weekly wage for that day.