Conditions of Employment Act, 1936

Piece work wages.

19.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this section every employer who for the doing of any industrial work pays to any worker or outworker any remuneration (in this Act referred to as piece work wages) calculated by reference to the amount of work done by such worker or outworker shall, before or at the commencement of any work in respect of which any particular payment of piece work wages is to be calculated, give to such worker or outworker a note in writing (in this Act referred to as a piece work particulars docket) showing, in sufficient detail to enable such worker or outworker to compute the piece work wages payable to him, particulars (in this Act referred to as piece work particulars) of both the rate of piece work wages and of the work in respect of which such rate is payable.

(2) On the application of an employer, the Minister may, if he thinks proper so to do having regard to all the circumstances of the case, issue to such employer a permit authorising him, subject to compliance with such conditions (if any) as may be stated in such permit, to pay piece-work wages to workers and outworkers employed by him without complying with the next preceding sub-section of this section, and whenever any such permit is so issued to an employer the following provisions shall have effect in regard thereto, that is to say:—

(a) the Minister may at any time revoke such permit by seven days' notice in writing given or sent by post to such employer;

(b) so long as such permit remains unrevoked and such employer complies with the conditions (if any) stated in such permit, it shall not be obligatory on such employer to comply with the said next preceding sub-section of this section.

(3) Save as otherwise provided by this section, every employer who for the doing of any industrial work in a building under his management and control pays to any worker piece work wages shall exhibit continually, in accordance with this Act, in every room in such building where such industrial work is done, a placard (in this Act referred to as a piece work particulars placard) giving the piece work particulars in respect of such industrial work.

(4) Every piece work particulars placard shall comply with the following conditions, that is to say:—

(a) shall not contain symbols other than letters and figures used with their ordinary significance,

(b) shall contain the piece work particulars in respect of the industrial work to which it relates and no other matter,

(c) shall be exhibited in such a position that it may be easily read by workers employed to do the industrial work to which it relates,

(d) shall be maintained in a clean and legible state,

(e) shall be in both the Irish and English languages,

and if any piece work particulars placard exhibited by any employer does not comply with such conditions such placard shall be deemed not to be exhibited in accordance with this Act.

(5) Where the piece work particulars relating to any form of industrial work are of such a complicated character that they cannot conveniently be comprised in a piece work particulars placard, any employer who employs workers to do such form of industrial work for piece work wages may, in lieu of exhibiting a piece work particulars placard, keep a book (in this Act referred to as a piece work particulars book) containing such piece work particulars readily available for inspection by all workers so employed.

(6) If any employer fails to comply with the requirements of this section he shall be guilty of an offence under this section.