Young people working in pubs, hotels and licensed restaurants will be protected under new regulations announced today by Minister of State at the Department of the Environment Mr Tom Kitt.
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The regulations are designed to protect 16- and 17-year-olds who work during the school year in particular. Under the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act 1996, they will be allowed to work until 11 p.m. (rather than 10 p.m. as was previously allowed under the law) on any one day and not before 7 a.m. on the following day, provided it is not before a school day.
Teenagers will also not be allowed serve drink from behind the bar or sell alcohol in an off-licence. Other regulations protect under-18s who have left school and are employed as full-time apprentices in the licensed trade.
Mr Kitt also launched a Code of Practice for young people working in the licensed industry that clarifies the obligations and responsibilities of employers to their underage staff.
He said many 16- and 17-year-olds may be working for the first time this summer and it was important that their entitlements should be spelt out and understood. "Taken as a package, they place the employment of young people firmly in the context that education comes first," he said.
The Code of Practice was welcomed as a positive initiative by the Vintners Federation of Ireland as it allowed younger workers to work a little later in certain circumstances. A spokeswoman told ireland.comthe move was supported as the welfare of younger workers was looked after.
Since January last year, almost 3,000 inspections have been done on the working conditions of young people. Six employers have been convicted so far this year for breaches of the Protection of Young Persons Act. But Mr Kitt said the majority of cases problems are generally resolved through the co-operation of the employers.
The new Code Of Practice was drawn up with the co-operation of the Department, and various unions and organisations in the licensed trade including ICTU and the Irish Hotels Federation.