From Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
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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.
The rates as of 1 January are as follows.
| Age | Minimum hourly rate |
| Under 18 | €7.35 |
| 18 years old | €8.40 |
| 19 years old | €9.45 |
| National Minimum Wage (20 years +) | €10.50 |
Further information on what can and cannot be included as pay for the National Minimum Wage is available on the WRC website.
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:
For more detailed information on employment law and workers’ rights, please see the links below to the WRC publication ‘Employment Law Explained’.
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
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