Landmark Labour Court Decision on Minimum Wage for Overnight Workers

A hot topic at the moment in Irish employment law centres is the question of overnight workers, such as junior doctors, live-in care workers, etc., in the medical/care industry. No doubt the entire country was more than aware of the kerfuffle with the HSE when the junior doctors were alleging that their overnight working and long shifts were in breach of working time and rest break legislation. In a very important development, a recent ruling from the Labour Court has recommended that overnight workers are entitled to receive the National Minimum Wage in circumstances where they may not actually be working (e.g. sleepover) but are nevertheless required to be present at the place of work. Read the rest of this entry »