National Minimum Wage Act 2000

Number 5 of 2000

NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE ACT 2000

REVISED

Updated to 1 January 2024

This Revised Act is an administrative consolidation of the National Minimum Wage Act 2000. It is prepared by the Law Reform Commission in accordance with its function under the Law Reform Commission Act 1975 (3/1975) to keep the law under review and to undertake revision and consolidation of statute law.

All Acts up to and including the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2023 (40/2023), enacted 19 December 2023, and all statutory instruments up to and including the Income Tax (Employments) Regulations 2024 (S.I. No. 1 of 2024), made 4 Jauary 2024, were considered in the preparation of this Revised Act.

Disclaimer: While every care has been taken in the preparation of this Revised Act, the Law Reform Commission can assume no responsibility for and give no guarantees, undertakings or warranties concerning the accuracy, completeness or up to date nature of the information provided and does not accept any liability whatsoever arising from any errors or omissions. Please notify any errors, omissions and comments by email to

revisedacts@lawreform.ie.

Number 5 of 2000

NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE ACT 2000

REVISED

Updated to 1 January 2024

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

PART I

Preliminary

Section
1.	Short title and commencement.
2.	Interpretation.
3.	Regulations.
4.	Laying of orders and regulations before Houses of Oireachtas.
5.	Non-application of Act.
6.	Expenses of Minister.
7.	Provisions in agreement or legislation to pay less than national minimum hourly rate of pay are void.

PART 2

Working Hours and Pay Reference Period

8.	Working hours of employee for pay reference period.
9.	Certain employees to provide record of working hours to employer.
10.	Pay reference period.

PART 3

National Minimum Hourly Rate of Pay

Declaration and Review of National Minimum Hourly Rate of Pay

10A.	Establishment of Low Pay Commission.
10B.	Duty of Commission.
10C.	Functions of Commission.
10D.	National minimum hourly rate of pay.
10E.	Funding and resources.
11.	National minimum hourly rate of pay. (Repealed)
12.	National economic agreement recommending national minimum hourly rate of pay. (Repealed)
13.	Labour Court may recommend national minimum hourly rate of pay where no national economic agreement. (Repealed)

Entitlement of Employee to Payment and Sub-minimum Rates

14.	Entitlement to minimum hourly rate of pay.
15.	Prescription of percentages of hourly rates of pay.
16.	Trainee rates. (Repealed)
17.	Pro-rata entitlement to minimum hourly rate of pay for less than full hour.

Calculation of Minimum Hourly Rate of Pay

18.	Calculations for purpose of this Part.
19.	Reckonable and non-reckonable pay components in calculating average hourly rate of pay.
20.	Method of calculating employee’s average hourly rate of pay.
21.	Payment of amount owed to employee on termination of employment.

PART 4

Records and Statement of Average Hourly Earnings

22.	Records
23.	Employee entitled to statement of average hourly rate of pay for pay reference period.

PART 5

Disputes about Entitlement and Enforcement

Hearing of Disputes

24.	Disputes about entitlement to minimum hourly rate of pay.
25.	Prohibition of reduction in hours of work of an employee without a concomitant reduction in duties or amount of work.
26.	[Decision of adjudication officer under section 41 of Workplace Relations Act 2015]

Appeals

27.	Appeal against rights commissioner’s decision. (Repealed)
28.	Power of Labour Court in relation to evidence. (Repealed)
29.	[Decision of Labour Court on appeal from decision referred to in section 26.]
30.	Referral or appeal to High Court on question of law. (Repealed)
31.	Referral of decision of rights commissioner to Labour Court for determination. (Repealed)
32.	Enforcement of determination of Labour Court. (Repealed)

Inspectors and Inspections

33.	Inspectors and their powers. (Repealed)
34.	Investigation of allegation or matter by inspector.

Offences and Enforcement

35.	Offence to refuse or fail to pay minimum hourly rate of pay.
36.	Prohibition of victimisation of employee by employer.
37.	Penalties and proceedings.
38.	Defence for employer in proceedings.
39.	Civil proceedings.
40.	Employee’s entitlements not affected by conditions of contract of employment contravening certain Acts.

PART 6

Miscellaneous

41.	Employer in financial difficulty.
42.	Act not to derogate from certain provisions of or under Industrial Relations Acts, 1946 to 1990.
43.	Repercussive claims.
44.	Amendment of section 3 of Terms of Employment (Information) Act, 1994.
45.	Amendment of section 39 of Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997.
46.	Change of ownership of business.
47.	Extension of Protection of Employees (Employers’Insolvency) Act, 1984.
48.	Service of documents.
49.	Provisions relating to winding-up and bankruptcy.
50.	Recovery of money due to employee.

SCHEDULE 1

SCHEDULE 2

Acts Referred to
Bankruptcy Act, 1988		1988, No. 27
Civil Service Regulation Act, 1956		1956, No. 46
Companies Act, 1963		1963, No. 33
Courts Act, 1981		1981, No. 11
Employment Equality Act, 1977		1977, No. 16
Industrial Relations Act, 1946		1946, No. 26
Industrial Relations Act, 1990		1990, No. 19
Industrial Relations Acts, 1946 to 1990
Industrial Training Act, 1967		1967, No. 5
Labour Services Act, 1987		1987, No. 15
Local Government Act, 1941		1941, No. 23
Maternity Protection Act, 1994		1994, No. 34
Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Acts, 1973 to 1991
Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997		1997, No. 20
Payment of Wages Act, 1991		1991, No. 25
Parental Leave Act, 1998		1998, No. 30
Petty Sessions (Ireland) Act, 1851		14 & 15 Vict., c. 9
Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) Act, 1984		1984, No. 21
Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) Acts, 1984 to 1991
Redundancy Payments Acts, 1967 to 1991
Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997		1997, No. 39
Terms of Employment (Information) Act, 1994		1994, No. 5
Trade Union Act, 1941		1941, No. 22
Unfair Dismissals Act, 1977		1977, No. 10
Unfair Dismissals Acts, 1977 to 1993
Worker Protection (Regular Part-Time Employees) Act, 1991		1991, No. 5

Number 5 of 2000

NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE ACT 2000

REVISED

Updated to 1 January 2024

AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE DETERMINATION, DECLARATION AND REVIEW OF A NATIONAL MINIMUM HOURLY RATE OF PAY FOR EMPLOYEES, THE ENTITLEMENT OF EMPLOYEES TO REMUNERATION FOR EMPLOYMENT AT A RATE NOT LESS THAN OR CALCULATED BY REFERENCE TO THAT NATIONAL MINIMUM HOURLY RATE, THE CALCULATION OF EMPLOYEES’ ENTITLEMENTS, THE SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES RELATING TO SUCH ENTITLEMENTS, THE ENFORCEMENT AND RECOVERY OF WAGES, THE IMPOSITION OF PENALTIES FOR BREACHES OF THIS ACT, THE AMENDMENT OF THE TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT (INFORMATION) ACT, 1994, THE ORGANISATION OF WORKING TIME ACT, 1997, AND THE PROTECTION OF EMPLOYEES (EMPLOYERS’ INSOLVENCY) ACT, 1984, AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. [31st March, 2000]

BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:

Annotations

Modifications (not altering text):

Functions transferred and references construed (14.10.2020) by Employment Affairs and Employment Law (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 438 of 2020), arts. 2, 3(1)(a), (2) and sch., in effect as per art. 1(2), subject to transitional provisions in arts. 4-8.

2. (1) The administration and business in connection with the exercise, performance or execution of any functions transferred by Article 3 are transferred to the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation.

(2) References to the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection contained in any Act or any instrument made under such Act and relating to any administration and business transferred by paragraph (1) shall, on and after the commencement of this Order, be construed as references to the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation.

3. (1) The functions vested in the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection -

(a) by or under the Acts specified in Part 1 of the Schedule and the provisions of the Acts specified in Part 2 of the Schedule, and

...

are transferred to the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation.

...

(2) References to the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection contained in any Act or instrument made under such Act and relating to any functions transferred by this Article shall, on and after the commencement of this Order, be construed as references to the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation.

SCHEDULE 1

PART 1

ACTS OF THE OIREACHTAS

...

National Minimum Wage Act 2000 (No. 5 of 2000)

...

Editorial Notes:

Collectively cited National Minimum Wage Acts 2000 and 2015 included in definitions of “employment enactment” and “relevant enactment” (1.08.2015) by Workplace Relations Act 2015 (16/2015), s. 2 and sch. 1 part 1 item 7, S.I. No. 338 of 2015, with the following effects:

• Authorised officers or inspectors under employment enactments deemed to be appointed under Workplace Relations Act 2015 (16/2015), s. 26(2) and subject to termination under s. 26(4).

• Powers of inspectors for purposes of relevant enactments defined in Workplace Relations Act 2015 (16/2015), s. 27.

• Workplace Relations Commission, an inspector or an adjudication officer authorised to disclose employer’s registered number or employee’s PPSN to enable Labour Court to perform functions under relevant enactments by Workplace Relations Act 2015 (16/2015) s. 31(5).

• Power of Workplace Relations Commission and official body to disclose information to each other concerning the commission of offence under relevant enactment provided by Workplace Relations Act 2015 (16/2015), s. 32.

• Power of Workplace Relations Commission and contracting authority to disclose information to each other concerning the commission of offence under employment enactment/ relevant enactment provided by Workplace Relations Act 2015 (16/2015), s. 33.

• Powers of Minister to prosecute under relevant enactments transferred to Workplace Relations Commission and references construed by Workplace Relations Act 2015 (16/2015), s. 37.

• Functions of EAT to hear claims under employment enactments transferred to Workplace Relations Commission and references to EAT construed by Workplace Relations Act 2015 (16/2015) s. 66(1), (2).

Previous affecting provision: functions transferred and “Minister for” and “Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation” construed (1.09.2017) by Labour Affairs and Labour Law (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2017 (S.I. No. 361 of 2017), arts. 2, 3, 6-8, in effect as per art. 1(2), subject to transitional provisions in arts. 4, 5; superseded as per C-note above.

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National Minimum Wage Act 2000