29th December 2025
As the year draws to a close, government is proud to reflect on a year of significant progress in strengthening employment rights and enhancing protections for workers across Ireland. These milestones underscore our continued commitment to fairness, security, and sustainability in the workplace, reinforcing Ireland’s reputation as a great place to live and work.
The beginning of 2025 saw improved protection for members of our Defence Forces when they were brought under the ambit of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997. This was a very important measure which will ensure that the protections prescribed in the Act are afforded to members of the Defence Forces.
The Employment Law Review Group (ELRG) held its inaugural plenary meeting. The ELRG was established to monitor and advise on employment and redundancy law, in accordance with its work programme, to ensure legislation remains relevant and fit for purpose and is updated to reflect international developments. The ELRG has met in plenary session 4 times and its subgroups have met regularly during 2025.
Ireland also strengthened its global leadership on equality in July when Minister Dillon announced at the G20 that Ireland had joined the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC). This global initiative brings together governments, employers, workers and civil society to tackle the gender pay gap through coordinated action.
Remote working continued to evolve as a key feature of modern employment. Following the introduction of the right to request remote working in 2024, Minister Dillon launched a statutory review and public consultation in November to assess the effectiveness of the legislation. The consultation attracted over 8,000 responses, reflecting strong engagement from employers and employees alike.
In December, new regulations were signed into law to implement the latest EU Asbestos at Work Directive, further protecting workers from harmful exposure and related illnesses. This measure continues the department’s commitment to ensuring safe and healthy workplaces.
These significant milestones follow a succession of hugely impactful legislative changes in recent years that have strengthened employment rights in Ireland.
Reflecting on the achievements made in strengthening employment rights, Minister Dillon said:
“This year has marked significant progress in strengthening employment rights and improving workplace protections, and demonstrates the government’s ongoing commitment to fairness, security, and sustainability in the labour market. As we move into 2026, we will continue working to ensure that Ireland remains a great place to work for both employees and employers.”
Looking ahead, the Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Act 2025 will be commenced during 2026. It will allow employees who do not consent to retire at their contractual retirement age to remain in employment until they reach the pensionable age (66), should they wish to do so. The pensionable age is the age at which people may first access their State Pension.
The department will work with the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) to develop new guidelines for both workers and employers on the new rights and responsibilities arising from this Act. This approach will support a smooth commencement of the Act and ensure that the new right is implemented consistently and fairly.
From 1 January 2026, the National Minimum Wage will rise by €0.65 to €14.15 per hour. This represents a 4.8% increase. This follows the approval by Minister Dillon in 2025 of new Employment Regulation Orders (EROs) for three critical sectors: the security industry, the contract cleaning sector, and the early years childcare sector. The new conditions set legally binding minimum pay and conditions for thousands of workers. These EROs represent a major step forward in promoting decent work and reducing inequality. By implementing these new orders, the department reinforces its commitment to protecting vulnerable sectors where pay has traditionally been low, while supporting a competitive labour market.
Note to editors
The European Communities (Organisation of Working Time) (Defence Forces) Regulations 2025 (SI No 11/2025) provide that the statutory protection of the Organisation of Working Time Act is now applied to members of the Defence Forces. The regulations took immediate effect upon signing on 20 January 2025.
The Organisation of Working Time Act transposes the European Union Working Time Directive (2003/88/EC). The Working Time Directive includes provisions for entitlements to breaks, minimum weekly rest periods, maximum weekly working time, minimum paid annual leave entitlements and provisions regarding night work.
The Employment Law Review Group (ELRG) was established under the Employment (Collective Redundancies and Miscellaneous Provisions) and Companies (Amendment) Act 2024 and held its first plenary in March 2025.
The ELRG’s function is to monitor, review, and advise on aspects of employment and redundancy law in accordance with its work programme, with a specific focus on promoting good workplace relations in the State, simplifying the operation of employment and redundancy law in the State, and ensuring that the State’s suite of employment rights and redundancy legislation remains relevant and fit for purpose and is updated to reflect international developments.
The ELRG is comprised of members with an interest and expertise in the development of employment and redundancy law. This includes members from the legal professions; representatives from business, unions and regulators; as well as Ministerial nominees.
The right to request remote work commenced on 6 March 2024 under the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023. Under the Act, all employees have a right to request remote working. The department is undertaking a review of the operation of the remote working provisions of the Act, in line with the provisions of the legislation.
The purpose of the Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Act 2025 is to implement the key commitment relating to contractual retirement ages which is outlined in the government’s response to the Pensions Commission Recommendations and Implementation Plan.
Where an employee does not consent to retire at the contractual retirement age, the Act will create a new statutory structure for employees to notify their employer of their intention to remain in employment until a later age, up to 66, where their contractual retirement age is lower than the qualifying age for the State Pension. The employee may retire at the first of the pensionable age or a date on which the employee consents to retire. The pensionable age is the age at which people may first access the State Pension, age 66.
This legislation will facilitate employees who wish to continue working beyond the normal retirement age of 65; bridge the income gap for those workers who may experience a significant drop in their income when they are required to retire before they can access the State Pension and improve adequacy and predictability of income for older workers.
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Exposure to Asbestos) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (SI No 632/2025) give effect to Directive 2023/2668 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 November 2023 amending Directive 2009/148/EC on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to asbestos at work.
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