About 50,000 low-paid workers are due to receive a pay increase after new wage agreements for the contract cleaning and security sectors are signed into law.
Legally binding pay and conditions for workers in these two sectors were agreed between employers and union under the Joint Labour Committee for a long time. About 200,000 workers were covered by such agreements. However, back in 2011, the system was ruled to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, and struck out. This meant that new staff would only enjoy the basic protections of the Minimum Wage and Working Time legislation.
But the Government has now reinstated the old system, adding constitutional protection.
From today, the pay of around 30,000 contract cleaners will be €9.75 an hour for the first 44 hours (an increase of 2.6%)
The first four hours of overtime will be paid at time and a half, and subsequent overtime will be paid at double time, and all hours worked on a Sunday will be paid at double time.
The 20,000 employees in the security sector will see their basic pay rate rise from €10.01 under the old system to €10.75, which represents an increase of 7.4%.
All overtime over 48 hours will be at time-and-a-half.