Vol. 563 No. 4
177 Mr. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the extent to which her Department monitors wages and conditions experienced by overseas workers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8367/03]
The labour inspectorate of my Department is responsible for monitoring certain employment conditions for all categories of workers in Ireland, including overseas workers and workers employed under the work permit system. Inspectors pursue allegations of worker mistreatment and when evidence of non-compliance with the relevant employment rights legislation is found the inspectorate seeks redress for the individuals concerned and, if appropriate, a prosecution is initiated. The inspectorate operates objectively, fairly, impartially and without any differentiation with respect to worker nationality as statutory employment rights and protections apply to over seas and work permit workers in exactly the same manner as they do to native Irish workers.
In 2002, the inspectorate undertook just over 8,300 inspections-visits mainly dealing with issues arising from more than 1,000 case files, the national minimum wage, the Payment of Wages Act 1991 and employment regulation orders and ensured the payment of €354,000 in arrears of wages to employees. Some 32 cases were referred to the Chief State Solicitor's Office for legal proceedings, 25 of these arising from the investigative work of the labour inspectorate. The activity of the inspectorate as outlined for 2002 covers the various categories of workers working in Ireland.
