Spanish au pair awarded €10k in landmark employment law case

A Spanish au pair has been awarded almost €10,000 after winning a landmark case against an Irish family.

The woman was paid between €2.50 and €5 an hour - plus board - for between 30 and 60 hours a week.

She took a case to the Workplace Relations Commission which ruled the family breached several employment laws.

It ordered that she should be compensated for money owed for work, rest, annual leave and public holidays which the family accepted.

The woman issued a statement saying she hoped that au pairs will no longer be exploited as “cheap labour”.

“I felt as though the children were my family, and it is very hard to leave a situation of exploitation when you feel such an enormous love for them. But at last I had to start this process,” the au pair said in her statement.

“With this judgment I feel respected for my work at last. That’s what through the Migrant Rights Centre and the decision of the Workplace Commission I have been able to obtain: respect and credibility.

“And it is proof of the important work being done by au pairs and domestic workers to get our rights. I would say that it is very important for everyone to become aware of this situation, and I hope that au pairs will no longer be exploited as cheap labour.”