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KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: Employing Young People

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This summer a lot of young people will be taking up summer jobs for the first time, particularly in the hospitality and retail sectors.

This can lead to parents or the young people themselves having a range of questions in relation to their employment rights and entitlements.

The working hours for young people are regulated by the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act 1996. The Act sets maximum working hours, rest intervals and prohibits the employment of young people aged under 18 in late night work. The Act does not apply to children or young people who are employed by a close relative.

Speaking about the employment of young people, Anne O’Donovan, West Cork Citizens Information Manager, said that some young people may be starting work for the first time and while it can be exciting, it can also be a daunting prospect if they are unsure of their rights and entitlements. She added that sometimes employers are unclear about their responsibilities in relation to employing young people also.

It is important that people are aware that staff at the local Citizens Information Service are there to provide support and to answer any questions that may arise for either employers, young people or their parents.

The following are some common queries:

Q. My daughter wants to take on a summer job. As she is only 14-years-old, I would like to know if there are limits to the number of hours that she can work?

A. Children aged 14 or over may do light work during the school holidays where the hours do not exceed seven in any day or 35 in any week. Children aged 15 may do eight hours a week light work in school term time. The maximum working week for children aged 15 outside school term time is 35 hours, or up to 40 hours if they are on approved work experience.

Q. Is the situation different for my son who is aged 16?

A. The maximum working week for young people aged 16 and 17 is 40 hours, with a maximum of eight hours a day. If a young person under 18 works for more than one employer, the combined daily or weekly hours of work cannot exceed the maximum number of hours allowed. Young persons are only permitted to work between 6am and 10pm.

Q. Can young people be asked to work late in the evening?

A. In general, young people aged 16 and 17 are not allowed to work before 6am in the morning or after 10pm at night. Employers may not require children aged 14 and 15 to work before 8am in the morning or after 8pm at night.

Q. Do parents have to give their permission for their child to take up a summer job?

A. If the young person is under 16, the employer must get the written permission of the child's parent or guardian. In general, employers must see a copy of the young person's birth certificate, or other evidence of their age, before employing them.

Q. What rates of pay are there for young people?

A. Since January 1, 2021, the national minimum wage is €10.20 per hour. This does not mean that everyone is automatically entitled to receive this. Young people aged under 18 are only guaranteed up to 70% of the national minimum wage, which is €7.14 per hour. Your employer can pay you more than the minimum wage if they want, but you should be aware that they are not required to do so by law.

Q. How do I avoid paying emergency tax?

A. When you start your first job, you should tell Revenue as soon as possible, or you may have to pay emergency tax. They will send a Revenue payroll notification (RPN) to your new employer. The RPN will tell your employer how much Income Tax and Universal Social Charge (USC) to deduct from your pay.

Q. What is the situation in relation to tips?

A. If you are working in a workplace where staff are given tips and gratuities by customers (such as a restaurant, bar, etc.) there is nothing in law to state you are automatically entitled to these tips. However, the law does not require you to hand these tips to your employer either. Instead, it all depends on the custom and practice in your workplace. If all tips are collected by management and paid to staff through the payroll, then these tips are subject to tax in the normal way.

If you need further information about any of the issues raised here or you have other questions about your employment rights, you can call a member of the local Citizens Information Service in Tralee on 0761 07 7860, Monday – Friday (10am-4pm). The Citizens Information Phone Service: Call 0761 07 4000, Monday to Friday, 9am – 8pm. For our national call back service visit citizensinformation.ie/callback to request a phone call from an information officer.

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Massive Park Road housing development given green light

A private developer has been given planning permission to build 249 new residential units at Upper Park Road. The development, which will be built on a recently cleared site near […]

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A private developer has been given planning permission to build 249 new residential units at Upper Park Road.

The development, which will be built on a recently cleared site near An Post’s sorting office, will include a variety of properties from five-bed houses to single apartments, along with a crèche and over 500 car spaces and over 300 bike spaces.

The development has been welcomed by local councillor Martin Grady.

“Killarney has a massive housing shortage so this is very positive. It will retain young families in the area, stimulating economic growth,” he said. “After 17 years of different planning applications it’s finally coming to fruition.”

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Ballydribeen residents living in fear due to anti-social behaviour

Residents in the Ballydribeen are living in fear as a result of increased anti-social behaviour in the estate. Several serious incidents in the estate have resulted in several Garda visits […]

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Residents in the Ballydribeen are living in fear as a result of increased anti-social behaviour in the estate.

Several serious incidents in the estate have resulted in several Garda visits in the last week.

Local councillor Martin Grady told the Killarney Advertiser that residents are “living in fear” as a result of very serious incidents in the last week alone.

One house in the estate was badly damaged when fire crackers were placed inside a letter box.

Another house had its windows smashed in over the weekend.

“It’s a major problem,” added Grady after meeting residents there earlier this week.

One of the most serious incidents occurred on Tuesday night.

A passing motorists had rocks thrown at his car while driving along the bypass whch is adjacent to the estate.
Taking to social media, local primary-school teacher Pádraig O’Sullivan posted:

“Travelling home tonight, at 11.05pm on the Killarney side of the bypass our car was hit by a rock – not a pebble – from the Ballydribben side , which hit the passenger door.

“It was centimetres away from hitting the window where my father, who is visually impaired, was sitting.

“This could have caused catastrophic permanent injury to him.

“The Killarney Garda were on the scene within three minutes.

“They can’t be patrolling the bypass all night.

“It comes down to parenting. You should know where your children are at this hour and be able to teach them what’s funny and what ruin a person’s life or cause a fatal crash.“

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