Ifac are urging Offaly Farmers to be aware of The Employment (miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018

The Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018 has come into force and farmers should be aware of the changes and what it means to how you manage your employees. The act delivers the Government’s commitment to strengthen rights for vulnerable workers and to increase the regulation around irregular employment contracts.

If you are a farmer with employees, or even one employee, it is important that you understand the implications of this new act and what you must do going forward. James Farrell from Ifac’s Offaly office breaks down the most relevant aspects of the act and highlights the next steps that must be taken.

The Act provides that:

• Employers must give employees five core terms of employment within five days of starting work,
• The use of zero hours contracts will be restricted,
• There will be a minimum payment of here times the national minimum wage for people called into work but sent home without work,
• A “band of hours” system will be introduced where an employee’s contract does not reflect actual hours worked,
• There are strong anti-penalisation provisions for employees who invoke their rights under this legislation, and
• National minimum wage rates for younger people have been simplified and will be based solely on the individual’s age, while trainee rates have been abolished.

Employees who do not receive the statements of their core terms of employment within the specified timeframe can bring a claim to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and can be awarded up to four weeks’ remuneration. However, an employee must have one month’s continuous service with that employer before they are eligible to bring the claim.

In addition to this employers who fail to comply, or deliberately provide false information are liable to a fine of up to €5,000 and/or 12 months imprisonment.

ifac is over 40 years in operation with 30 branches nationwide providing advice to agribusinesses and the farming community on tax, accountancy, pension planning, succession planning and other areas to help clients across the supply chain develop a profitable and sustainable business.