Scrooge bosses exploiting child labour

FIGURES revealing how many children are exploited in the workplace “is only the tip of the iceberg,” welfare groups said yesterday.

The warning came after it was revealed that child exploitation made up the largest number of prosecutions taken against employers this year.

While rogue employers faced a crackdown over the past two years, Barnardos chief executive Owen Keenan said he was not surprised that so many were exploiting children.

They were using them to make up for shortages in the labour market and many teenagers were working too many hours to the detriment of their schoolwork, he said.

“I think we are probably only seeing the tip of the iceberg here and we need to see more inspections taking place. But parents also have a responsibility to ensure children are being treated properly,” he said.

Half of prosecutions taken against employers in the last year, eight out of 16, related to child exploitation.

The number of cases of employers allowing children to work too many hours and having them working after 10pm on school nights has increased dramatically.

Child protection groups want greater enforcement of the law to ensure children’s education is not affected by their part-time jobs. To wind up in court, employers must have blatantly ignored the warnings issued by labour inspectors.

Under the Protection of Young Persons Act employers cannot have children working:

More than seven hours a day.

More than eight hours a week during school term.

Between 8pm one day and 8am the following day.

Without the written permission of parents.

Without proper evidence of age.

Thirty-three employers have been convicted in the past two years of exploiting workers for a range of offences, including not keeping proper records, paying the minimum wage, not giving wage slips to workers and not contributing to sick pay schemes.

But the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment cannot name and shame rogue employers as they do not have the power to do so by law.

The Tánaiste’s Department is vowing to come down harder on employers next year, when a new computer system will mean inspectors spend more time in the workplace and prosecutions will be speeded up significantly. The system will allow faster access to data and allow inspectors to investigate independent of head office.