Carlow County Enterprise Board

Owner Manager Network

7th October 2008

Presented By Ger Deering, Director

National Employment Rights Authority

“To achieve a national culture of employment rights compliance”

NERA’s Mission Statement

•Carlow HQ•Dublin•Cork•Sligo•Shannon

NERA’s Locations

Enabling employers & employees to achieve compliance through:- Information and Education- Inspection- Prosecution- Enforcement

NERA Achieving Compliance

NERA’s Information Services

• Approximately 500 calls per day - 80,000 to date his year

• Quarter of a million visitors & 1.5M web page impressions on our website from Jan 14th 2008 to Date

• 7,400 email enquiries to date this year

• Approximately 40% of these are employers

NERA’s Information Services

NERA’s Information CampaignNERA’s Information Services

Sectoral Campaigns • Agriculture/Mushroom• Construction • National Minimum Wage • Protection of Young Persons• Security• Catering• Hotel

NERA’s Inspection Services

• Employer Registration Number

• Name and address and PPS Number of each employee

• Terms of Employment for each employee

• Payroll details

• Copies of pay slips

• Employees job classification

• Dates of commencement and termination

• Hours of work (rosters)

•Register of employees under 18 years of age

•Holidays & public holidays

What Will An Inspector Look For?

• Start and finish times not recorded

• No statement of terms and conditions

• Statutory Minimum Rate not paid

• National Minimum Wage Act

• Payment of Wages Act - pay slips

• Organisation of Working Time Act

• Non payment of overtime

• Holidays

• Incomplete records

Types of Breaches Detected

NERA QUARTERLY

NERA’s Future

• Employment Law Compliance Bill makes provision for: – establishment of NERA on statutory footing– standardisation of powers of NERA Inspectors across the range of

‘employment legislation’– maintenance of statutory employment records (payroll; time records)– increased/standardised fines for non-compliance with statutory

employment rights, typically:• €5000/12 months’ imprisonment on summary conviction• €250,000/three years’ imprisonment following conviction on indictment

– statutory Protection for complainants & whistleblowers– an enforcement role for NERA under Employment Permits Acts 2003 &

2006

Achieving a national culture of employment rights compliance