Employment watchdog recovers €900,000 in unpaid wages

The State’s employment rights watchdog had a 20% increase in the number of calls to its customer service line last year and also increased the number of prosecutions carried out against employers.

The National Employment Rights Authority (Nere) also criticised certain job sectors for low levels of compliance with employment regulations and also revealed that the amount of unpaid wages it helped to recover in 2015 was up 40% compared to the same period in the previous year, despite fewer inspection cases being completed.

The lowest levels of compliance were found in the hair and beauty, transport, and food and drink sectors, with issues highlighted in the latter sector in particular, as there was compliance in just 35% of the 565 completed inspection visits, resulting in €283,237 recovered in unpaid wages.