The minimum wage is going up in January 2021

The Minimum Wage in the Republic of Ireland is going up on 1 January 2021 - as announced here.

What does this mean

The minimum adult hourly rate is increasing by 10c to €10.20 per hour.  It applies to  everyone who is age 18 or more, except apprentices, family members of employers, and people who work for companies that have a Labour Court exemption..

• For people aged 19 the minimum hourly rate is 90% of the adult rate, so it becomes €9.18 per hour.

• People aged 18  is 80% of the adult rate, so it becomes €8.16 per hour.

• People aged less than 18:  for them, the minimum hourly rate is 70% of the adult rate, so it becomes €7.14 per hour.

This hourly rate is before tax, and it does not include tips, extra that you get for working overtime or at unusual times, pension contributions - if any of these apply, they must be paid on top of the minimum wage.   For example, if you are age 21 work for three hours, and your share of tips from the day is $20, then you must be paid at least  ( 3 x 10.20 ) + 20  = 30.60 + 20,   ie  $50.60

Do you have to be paid the minimum wage?

The law says that you must be paid at least the minimum wage, based on your age.

Employers can choose to pay you more than this, and  many employers do pay more than the minimum wage.

Minimum wage vs Living Wage

There are been recent news items about introducing a Living Wage in Ireland, with suggestions that the minimum wage should increase to $12.30 per hour.  

Recently the Taoiseach (Ireland's Prime Minister or top government leader) said that the government would "examine the introduction of a statutory living wage".  This means that they will think about it, but they have not made any promises yet.   

Some of the things to think about include how many hours people work for:  the Living Wage is calculated based on what it costs an adult to live in Ireland in a certain way, and assumes that you work for 39 hours per week.   But some employees choose to work less than full-time hours, and some jobs are never going to be full time.

Will everyone else's wages also increase?

Increases to the minimum wage doesn't apply to people who are already paid more - unless they have a contract which says  so, for example "Your hourly pay rate is the minimum wage plus 50c".

Sometimes other low-wage jobs do have wage increases at the same time  as the minimum wage increases, so they are still attractive to people who are looking for work.   However the Covid-19 crisis means this is less likely in 2021.

What to do if you are being paid less than the minimum wage

See what to do if you aren't being treated the right way at work for some suggestions.

Disclaimer

As always, this isn't legal advice.  Consult a lawyer if you need advice about a specific situation.

Minimum wage going up in February 2020

The Minimum Wage in Ireland is going up on 1 February 2020 - as announced here.

The minimum adult hourly rate is increasing by 30c to €10.10 per hour.  It applies to  everyone who is age 18 or more (except apprentices and family members of employers).

• For people aged 19 the minimum hourly rate is 90% of the adult rate, so it becomes €9.09 per hour.

• People aged 18  is 80% of the adult rate, so it becomes €8.08per hour.

• People aged less than 18:  for them, the minimum hourly rate is 70% of the adult rate, so it becomes €7.07per hour.

Do you have to be paid the minimum wage?

The law says that you must be paid at least the minimum wage, based on your age.

Employers can choose to pay you more than this, and  many employers do pay more than the minimum wage.

Will everyone else's wages also increase?

Increases to the minimum wage doesn't apply to people who are already paid more - unless they have a contract which says they are linked   eg  "Your hourly pay rate is the minimum wage plus 50c".

But  it is likely that other low-wage jobs will have wage increases, so they are still attractive to people who are looking for work.

What to do if you are being paid less than the minimum wage

See what to do if you aren't being treated the right way at work for some suggestions.

Disclaimer

As always, this isn't legal advice.  Consult a lawyer if you need advice about a specific situation.

The minimum wage is going up on 1 January 2019

The Minimum Wage in Ireland is going up on 1 January 2019.

The minimum adult hourly rate is increasing by 25c to €9.80 per hour.  It applies to  everyone who does not fit into these categories:

• People aged 19+ and who have worked(*) for less than two years since they turned 18:  For them, the minimum hourly rate is 90% of the adult rate, so it becomes €8.82 per hour.

• People aged 18+  and who have worked(*) for less than one year since they turned 18:  For them, the minimum hourly rate is 80% of the adult rate, so it becomes €7.84 per hour.

• People aged less than 18:  for them, the minimum hourly rate is 70% of the adult rate, so it becomes €6.86 per hour.

(*)  Any paid work after turning 18 counts:   It doesn't need to be full time, or in the same industry.  These rules are set out in the National Minimum Wage Act 2000, which is a law passed by the Irish government.   If you think that parts of this law are unfair - for example, that work experience before you turn 18 is not counted - then you should discuss this with your local TD, or political party.

Do you have to be paid the minimum wage?

The law says that you must be paid at least the minimum wage.   Employers can choose to pay you more than this - even if you are under 18 or have not been working for very long.   Many employers do pay more than the minimum wage.

Will everyone else's wages also increase?

An increase to the minimum wage doesn't apply to people who are being paid a higher rate - unless they have a contract which says they are linked   eg  "Your hourly pay rate is the minimum wage plus 50c".

However over time, it is likely that other low-wage jobs will have wage increases, so they are still attractive to people who are looking for work.

What to do if you are being paid less than the minimum wage

If  you are getting less than the minimum wage, then the first thing to do is to check:

• Is there any exemption for your job (eg for trainees, apprentices, or employers in financial difficulty), or
• It is because of the way your hourly rate is calculated.   (In some jobs, there are allowances or particular times that are or aren't included).

You can find more details about this here on the Citizen's Information website.

If you are not being paid correctly, you can choose what to do next.   Some options are:

Talk to your employer

Sometimes employers make mistakes, don't know about the increased rates, or the amount of work experience that you have.   It is usually best to ask them about the problem first and give them a chance to fix the problem, before getting anyone else involved.

Talk to your union

If you belong to a union, then a union delegate or staff member can talk to your employer about the minimum wage rate, and how it applies to you.   They will also know if your employer regularly pays people less than they should, and what to do about it.

Talk to Workplace Relations

The Workplace Relations Commission is a government agency that helps to protect employees' rights. They can investigate and may do various things to help convince your employer to pay you correctly - anything from a gentle reminder letter or phone-call, right through to a full audit of your workplace and/or taking your employer to court.

• You can ask them a general question using this form or by phoning 059 9178990  / Lo-call: 1890 80 80 90 during office hours.
• Find out about making a formal complaint to them is on this page.

Do nothing - or find a better job

If someone is paying you less than the minimum-wage, then they are breaking the law.

f they keep doing it, even after they know about the law, then probably it's not a great place to be working:  Many people would say that you should focus on finding a better job, with an employer who is not going to behave like this.

Disclaimer

As always, this isn't legal advice.