Over half of au pairs earn less than €3 a hour, according to a survey which says Ireland "has become inextricably linked with cheap childcare and domestic work in the private house."

The Government has been accused of "failing" domestic workers falling prey to exploitation by not ratifying laws aimed at securing their rights.

More than half of school and college building sites where pay matters have been investigated for the Department of Education have been referred on to tax, social welfare and other authorities.

Members of the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee have criticised two state agency executives who take fees for sitting on the board of the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA).

WE HAVE five state bodies overseeing disputes in the workplace — but yet cases take up to two years to get a hearing.

Almost €2m in unpaid wages was recovered from employers following a probe by the National Employment Rights Authority last year.

Jobs Minister Richard Bruton has announced a number of developments in the areas of employment rights and industrial relations, in line with promised reforms.

THE number of enforcement applications made to the employment rights watchdog has exploded in the past year as it chases firms for larger financial awards owed to employees.

Enterprise Minister Richard Bruton is today proposing the amalgamation of the five employment rights bodies.

WORKERS unable to attend work because of the weather are not legally entitled to be paid by their employers, according to the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA).

ALMOST every industrial sector has seen a marked decline in the level of compliance with minimum wage and employment rights over the last year, new figures released by the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA) show.

A CALL by Fianna Fáil TD Frank Fahy for a relaxation of labour law inspections has been condemned as raising questions about the Government’s commitment to workers’ rights and fairness.

LESS than one-in-five hotels and grocery outlets is paying staff agreed minimum rates of pay, according to the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA).

The Public Service Executive Union (PSEU) conference has endorsed its leadership’s decision to recommend acceptance of the Croke Park agreement on public sector pay and reform.

Tralee: IBEC will host a series of free seminars for businesses following an increase in the cost of employee claims against employers.

OVER the last 12 months, the National Employment Rights Authority recovered €2.5m in owed wages for 6,000 workers who were not paid their statutory minimum entitlements by their employers.

THE number of government labour inspectors has declined by over 20% over the last two years, increasing fears that migrant workers could face increased exploitation.

The National Employment Rights Authority secured over €2.3m in unpaid wages for workers from their employers during 2009.

SECURITY staff at three hospitals in Limerick City have unanimously balloted in favour of industrial action following claims their employer has cut the hours of union members because of their refusal to forfeit monies owed over the past three years.

LIMERICK CHAMBER,in association with Peninsula Business Services, is to host an employment law evening on Thursday in South Court Hotel from 6.15pm to 8pm, focusing on employment legislation in the workplace, specifically aimed at owners and managers in the area.

UNEMPLOYMENT has reached 354,000 and is rising at the rate of 1,000 per day. Brian Cowen told the Dáil it could exceed 450,000 by year end. All his estimates to date have been overly optimistic. The reality is that we face the prospect of more than half a million jobless.

The National Employment Rights Authority (NERA) says it helped to recover more than €3m in unpaid wages owed to workers in Ireland last year.

More than half of all migrant workers earn less than the minimum wage, a new report revealed today.

THE National Employment Rights Authority detected more than 1,000 companies not paying staff their entitlements under legally binding wage deals in the first nine months of this year.

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.

Employers have been warned that they face being "named and shamed" if they break the law by failing to give employees their statutory entitlements, employment group McCann FitzGerald have warned today.

Company bosses can be jailed for three years or fined up to €250,000 under tough new employment laws unveiled today.

ALMOST 300 employers were found to have breached the minimum wage laws in the past two years, but just one prosecution was taken, the Dáil heard yesterday.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin, TD today launched a major publicity campaign to inform workers of their rights, as new figures confirm that the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA) recovered €2.5m in wages for workers during 2007.

A workers’ rights helpline received 93,000 calls received from the public in 2007, it emerged today.

The Minister for Enterprise Micheál Martin has launched a major publicity campaign to inform workers of their rights.

THE Government is to start naming and shaming employers who breach employment law in legislation in lists similar to the Revenue’s tax defaulters.

Trade union Siptu today called on the Government to end its controversial decentralisation plans for semi-state bodies.

TAXI drivers have expressed disappointment at the sudden resignation of the country’s first taxi regulator in the middle of a series of often controversial reforms of the industry.