Employment Rights in Ireland – Information for Ukrainian Nationals

22nd April 2022  |   Notice, Guidelines

Права на працевлаштування в Ірландії – інформація для громадян України

Трудовые права в Ирландии – информация для граждан Украины

Ukrainian citizens can work legally in Ireland once they have received their letter confirming they have been granted Temporary Protection under the EU Directive. They are then also entitled to the full range of statutory employment rights and protections in the same manner as Irish workers.

The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is the State body responsible for employment rights. Information on employment rights is available at workplacerelations.ie or by contacting the WRC at 0818 808090 or 059 9178900. The WRC website is fully translatable by using the Google Translate facility available at the top of each webpage. 

Basic employment rights which apply to legally employed workers in Ireland

• All employees must receive a written statement of the core terms of employment within five days of starting work. This must include the name of employer and employee, address of employer, contract duration, calculation of pay and number of hours employee is expected to work per day / week.
• All employees must also receive a full written statement of the terms of employment of starting work.
• All employees in Ireland are entitled to a minimum hourly wage rate which applies to full time, part-time, temporary and casual employees, and also to seasonal workers. Employees under 20 years of age have reduced rates. All employees must receive a pay slip. 

The rates as of 01 January 2022 are:

Further information on what can and cannot be included as pay for the National Minimum Wage is available on the WRC website workplacerelations.ie.

• All employees must receive a minimum of 4 of their working weeks in annual leave per year. Annual leave is accrued based on time worked by the employee. Leave for part-time employees is calculated on the basis of 8% of hours worked. 
• The maximum hours an employee should work in an average week is 48 hours and this is calculated over a 4-month period. Employees are entitled to a daily rest break of 11 hours per 24 hours and a weekly rest period of 24 consecutive hours per seven days. 
• Employees should receive a 15-minute break after working 4 ½ hours and a 30-minute break after working 6 hours. 
• Employers can only make deductions from an employee’s wage in the following circumstances: 
  • If required or authorised by law (for example, tax or social insurance).
  • If authorised by a term of an employee's contract (for example, pension contributions, and so on).
  • If agreed in writing by the employee (for example, subscriptions to clubs, and so on).
  • In restricted circumstances, deductions which arise from any act or omission of the employee. 

More information

For more detailed information on employment law and workers’ rights, please see the links below to the WRC publication ‘Employment Law Explained’.

Employment Law Explained in Ukrainian language

Employment Law Explained in Russian language

Complaints

Complaints in relation to alleged contraventions of employment and equality legislation may be presented to the Workplace Relations Commission. The Commission’s e-complaint facility can be accessed at workplacerelations.ie. Depending on the nature of the complaint, the matter will be referred for either inspection or adjudication. 

If you are a Ukrainian citizen or if you are fleeing Ukraine, you can find information here on employment rights while you are in Ireland

workplacerelations.ie (fully translatable using the Google Translate facility available at the top of each webpage)

Phone 0818 80 80 90  

Topics: Workplace and Skills