11.10          Young People at Work

The employment of young people is regulated by the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act, 1996, which consolidates the law on young workers and gives effect to international rules on protecting young workers drawn up by the International Labour Organisation (I.L.O.) and the European Union (E.U.).The law is designed to protect the health of young workers and to ensure that work during the school years does not put the young person’s education at risk.

Age Limits

For a regular job, the general minimum age is 16.

Employers can take on 14 and 15 year olds on light work, subject to the following requirements :-

• during the school holidays, provided there is a minimum three week break from work in the summer;
• in part-time work during the school term (over 15 years only);
• as part of an approved work-experience or educational programme.

Any child under 16 may be employed in film, theatre, sports or advertising under licence.

Maximum hours of Work per Week

Under 18s may not be employed for more than 40 hours per week or 8 hours a day, except in a genuine emergency. The maximum weekly working hours for 14 and 15 year olds are:-

Age                                         14 years                      15 years

Term-time                                Nil                               8 hours

Holiday work                          35 hours                      35 hours

Work experience                     40 hours                      40 hours

People under 16 may not work before 8.00am or after 8.00pm. People between 16 and 18 may not work before 6.00 a.m. and after 10.00 p.m. with school the next morning, or after 11.00 p.m., if they do not have to attend school the next day. The ban on early morning work then moves forward to 7 a.m.

No under 18 year old person may work more than 5 days in every seven and they are entitled to minimum rest periods as follows:

Under 16 yrs.            30 minutes break after 4 hours work and 14 hours off in every 24 hours.

16 and 17 yrs            30 minutes break after 4.5 hours work and 12 hours off in every 24 hours.

Duties of Employers

Employers are obliged to keep records of all employments of young people. They must have sight of the birth certificates of the young people employed and must have written parental permission before employing anyone under 16. Employers who break the law are subject to fines of up to €1,900, plus €317 per day for each day they continue in breach.

The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 1989 obliges employers to have due regard for the safety of children ( under 16) at work, and the Terms of Employment (Information) Act, 1994 requires employers to give workers under 18 years of age a copy of the official summary of the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act, 1996, as well as details of their employment within one month of starting the job.

The full provisions of the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act, 1996  do not apply  to the employment of close relatives in a family business or farm provided the conditions of employment meet the terms of the E.U. Directive on the protection of young workers and the health and safety of the young people concerned are not put at risk.

Complaints under the Act should be made to:

The Employment Rights Section, Department of Enterprise and Employment, Davitt House,

65A, Adelaide Road, Dublin 2.

N.B. Confidentiality is guaranteed to anyone making a complaint.