Bruton: New law will give workers greater protection

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton has said new legislation published today will give greater protection to lower paid workers.

The Bill allows for the reform of the Joint Labour Committee and Registered Employment Agreement wage-setting mechanisms which were found to be unconstitutional earlier this year.

As part of the changes, new workers will no longer be entitled to Sunday premium pay, but employers will have to offer other measures instead, such as time off in lieu.

Minister Bruton maintains the reforms will also help in the creation of jobs in areas such as the hospitality catering sectors.

Mr Bruton said: "The Bill we are publishing today is an important reform. It seeks to balance the need to protect workers in vulnerable sectors and the need to create employment in those sectors.

"I think, when you look at the last two quarters, we have seen that some of these sectors, regulated by these wage levels, have actually had a significant bounce and an improvement in employment."