O’Briens Sandwich Bars threatens redundancies over Sunday pay rates

THE founder of O’Briens Sandwich Bars has warned that his company may lay off 60 full-time staff unless it is permitted to stop paying overtime on Sundays.

Brodie Sweeney told a group of business leaders in Cork that he had called on the Enterprise Minister Mary Coughlan to amend legislation that rules that his employees must receive the extra rate.

Pay and conditions of employment are subject to employment rights orders (EROS) created by the Joint Labour Committee (JLC) system and O’Briens’ outlets are governed by two JLCs in the restaurant and catering sector — one for the boroughs of Dublin and Dún Laoghaire and the other for the rest of the State.