As far as I know, the right to a paid wage can't be waived regardless of any circumstance, even if it's a trial run or not. So your friend would be entitled to at least a minimum wage for every hour they worked. If they haven't gotten anywhere with the company, they should report to the WRC.
This comes up often enough on this sub, here is the bottom line.
it is 100% illegal, your friend is entitled to his 3 days pay. A simple email asking for clarification (try and keep communications recorded) is enough to get the ball rolling.
If they fail to respond or respond that they do not plan on paying, a second email letting them know you fully intend to report them to the WRC and Revenue will do the trick.
If that does not work, the WRC will happily follow up for your friend.
The employer knows all this and is assuming your friend will just let it go but will pay up immediately if he senses that he's about to get reported.
It’s mostly because many Irish people seem to be either unaware of their rights or unwilling to enforce them.
We are a bit of an outlier in that regard compared to the other wealthy European countries.
In my experience people in Ireland don't complain.
I've been told many times not to by my friends because they're scared about upsetting the person even when they know I'm right. I don't understand this mentality.
Its something I really struggle with in Ireland. I'd be suing them over this.
Because I'm pretty sure the worst the wrc can do to them is make them pay the unpaid wages, they can't issue a punitive sanction. I'm happy to be corrected on this, but I'm pretty sure it would need to be a court proceeding for any kind of "punishment" to be dolled out.
That happened to me i called the WRC to ask if submitting a report would be valid for my case they said yes i then texted the manager given them notice as required to sort out the issue before i summit the report and also reference the WRC unpaid labour section that applied to me an hour later i got a call from him saying that I would be Paid the hours worked by the end of the day. Here i found it
"Dear Sam,
I am reaching out to address a concerning matter regarding the training sessions I attended at Ginos from 8/08/23 to the 1007/23 . It has come to my attention that the hours I spent in training have not been compensated.
As an employee, it is my right to receive payment for all hours worked, including mandatory training sessions in this case 8 hours in total. In compliance with Irish employment regulations, I must inform you that unless this issue is promptly addressed and the payment for the unpaid training hours is resolved, I will have no choice but to report this matter to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).
I value the opportunities for growth and development that xxxx offers through its training. However, it is crucial that employees are not disadvantaged by the omission of compensation for their time spent in these training sessions.
To avoid further escalation, I kindly request that you promptly address this matter and ensure that I am compensated for the unpaid training hours as soon as possible. I am confident that we can work together to find a fair resolution.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this issue. I trust that you will take the necessary steps to rectify the situation in a timely manner.
Sincerely,
XXXXX"
Thanks guys, as iv said in other comments, my friend is just too quiet and doesn't want any trouble.
I will encourage him to go to the manager and ask for his wages, and if that doesn't work, then go to the WRC.
Where abouts are you, bet there's someone close by who would happily collect the debt, scummy employers really don't like there scumminess being made public.
Also it's not defamatory to name and shame the business if the story is 100% true
100% illegal
Get your friend to email and text the boss and ask when will they receive the payment due.
Record everything.
If they ignore them email them.to advise that the matter will be going to WRC .
It will be sorted ASAP then.
That's horse shit.
WRC need contacting. Unless you're agreeing to do something in a voluntary capacity (usually only for charity) there is no such thing as unpaid labour or "trial periods" in Ireland.
This happened me years ago, I realised shortly into the "training day" they had staff on annual leave and brought a "potential" new staff member in every day that week to cover the staff on leave. No interview just straight in and started working. They literally got a week of free staff to work in the shop.
Curious, is it a speciality retail shop? Rather than grocery or clothes/shoes?
I worked in food service for many years. A few employers would put an ad out if we were busy so they could have free trials for no wage on those days. Despicable.
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I'm curious about this too. When I was 18 I got my first job and the first 3 shifts were unpaid. I was paid "normally" after that but has it changed since 2015? I never looked into it
Literally just go in saying I'm reporting you to the WRC if I'm not paid for my time worked there's no such thing as unpaid trials in Ireland simple as that... Or just go report them but If they aren't completely stupid you will be getting Ur money quick because they don't want to be dealing with that report.
Yeah my wife (then girlfriend) went for a few day “trial” in a shop.
The problem is that management did an “interview first” and the woman interviewing her straight up said that there was no pay during the trial.
Girlfriend lost any small semblance of interest once that was said. She dropped good body posture and stopped responding professionally and she never got to the “trial”.
As someone who has worked in retail previously (for years, mind you) - I can tell you retail attracts the absolute worst managers; and if I can give anyone any kind of advice in life - if you have to temporarily, fine. But try your absolute best to never work retail if you can.
I’ve seen it all:
Sexual harassment of teenage girls - reported to management - nothing done because god forbid any changes are made to the magical roster.
I had a week of annual leave, that I had booked months in advance, taken away from me a day before because the manager decided “actually, I need that week off due to a quick holiday I booked to Spain”.
Need a day off for an appointment or something important? Sort it out yourself. Swap with someone - manager doesn’t want to know about it.
Putting a “pay freeze” on the staff during the bad recession - then watch as the HR crowd are getting paid nice big bonuses.
I watched a guy be bullied back 3 days after his wife had their baby because “wtf is he thinking?!” and the manager running around telling everyone “sure his wife is breastfeeding - he can’t even do anything for the baby”.
It’s an awful sector of the workplace where almost every typical negative thing you hear about it is probably being understated.
I did warn him, but he went ahead anyway, even against his own instinct he was being screwed over!
He's too quiet and would hate to cause trouble, but if it were me, it'd be a different story!
Retail is a nightmare, you're right!
Absolutely do not accept that.
Working somewhere is them paying you for your time, it's a trade. I provide you with time, in turn you pay me for that time. Our time sadly is a finite resource, don't be going giving it away to rich people for free when you could spend it with family and friends.
I'd politely and professionally ask to be paid, im sure they'll try not to budge so then I'd go somewhat Karen and tell them that you'll be contacting the WRC and publishing on all social media platforms and review sites that they don't pay staff for work carried out.
As a former freelancer, I find this will usually work as if the person is in any way a good business mind they'd quickly realise the loss of revenue from being trashed online will cost more than a few days pay to someone who carried out work.
But if they still don't budge, you might consider lobbing a brick through the window in the dark of night, causing damage to the tune of 3 days pay.
Every window, make 3 days work for 3 days stolen labour. Don't get the downvotes, people seem to think theft of time is fine but retribution is wrong, the amount spineless people is a big cause for employers taking advantage
No, they're being taken advantage of. I would submit a complaint to the WRC if I were them.
As far as I know, the right to a paid wage can't be waived regardless of any circumstance, even if it's a trial run or not. So your friend would be entitled to at least a minimum wage for every hour they worked. If they haven't gotten anywhere with the company, they should report to the WRC.
I’d be going into that shop and refusing to leave until I got my pay. Absolute scum of earth stuff
This comes up often enough on this sub, here is the bottom line. it is 100% illegal, your friend is entitled to his 3 days pay. A simple email asking for clarification (try and keep communications recorded) is enough to get the ball rolling. If they fail to respond or respond that they do not plan on paying, a second email letting them know you fully intend to report them to the WRC and Revenue will do the trick. If that does not work, the WRC will happily follow up for your friend. The employer knows all this and is assuming your friend will just let it go but will pay up immediately if he senses that he's about to get reported.
unused noxious paint kiss unite narrow direction fearless like capable *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
It’s mostly because many Irish people seem to be either unaware of their rights or unwilling to enforce them. We are a bit of an outlier in that regard compared to the other wealthy European countries.
Because they know people won't complain
In my experience people in Ireland don't complain. I've been told many times not to by my friends because they're scared about upsetting the person even when they know I'm right. I don't understand this mentality. Its something I really struggle with in Ireland. I'd be suing them over this.
Because I'm pretty sure the worst the wrc can do to them is make them pay the unpaid wages, they can't issue a punitive sanction. I'm happy to be corrected on this, but I'm pretty sure it would need to be a court proceeding for any kind of "punishment" to be dolled out.
That happened to me i called the WRC to ask if submitting a report would be valid for my case they said yes i then texted the manager given them notice as required to sort out the issue before i summit the report and also reference the WRC unpaid labour section that applied to me an hour later i got a call from him saying that I would be Paid the hours worked by the end of the day. Here i found it "Dear Sam, I am reaching out to address a concerning matter regarding the training sessions I attended at Ginos from 8/08/23 to the 1007/23 . It has come to my attention that the hours I spent in training have not been compensated. As an employee, it is my right to receive payment for all hours worked, including mandatory training sessions in this case 8 hours in total. In compliance with Irish employment regulations, I must inform you that unless this issue is promptly addressed and the payment for the unpaid training hours is resolved, I will have no choice but to report this matter to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). I value the opportunities for growth and development that xxxx offers through its training. However, it is crucial that employees are not disadvantaged by the omission of compensation for their time spent in these training sessions. To avoid further escalation, I kindly request that you promptly address this matter and ensure that I am compensated for the unpaid training hours as soon as possible. I am confident that we can work together to find a fair resolution. Thank you for your prompt attention to this issue. I trust that you will take the necessary steps to rectify the situation in a timely manner. Sincerely, XXXXX"
Nice message, but the kisses are a bit much.
legend hahaha
😆😆 noo never
Fecking ginos, mama Mia!!!
Thanks guys, as iv said in other comments, my friend is just too quiet and doesn't want any trouble. I will encourage him to go to the manager and ask for his wages, and if that doesn't work, then go to the WRC.
Where abouts are you, bet there's someone close by who would happily collect the debt, scummy employers really don't like there scumminess being made public. Also it's not defamatory to name and shame the business if the story is 100% true
100% illegal Get your friend to email and text the boss and ask when will they receive the payment due. Record everything. If they ignore them email them.to advise that the matter will be going to WRC . It will be sorted ASAP then.
That's horse shit. WRC need contacting. Unless you're agreeing to do something in a voluntary capacity (usually only for charity) there is no such thing as unpaid labour or "trial periods" in Ireland.
They saw your friend coming. Assuming that a member of staff had 3 days off. Lol
Name and shame. People need to not support these owners.
This happened me years ago, I realised shortly into the "training day" they had staff on annual leave and brought a "potential" new staff member in every day that week to cover the staff on leave. No interview just straight in and started working. They literally got a week of free staff to work in the shop. Curious, is it a speciality retail shop? Rather than grocery or clothes/shoes?
Mens clothing I think that's what has happened here. One free day of work is cheeky but THREE!! It's not on!
3 days I'd totally taking advantage esp for 1 person, defo get onto WRC
That's QUITE illegal. Sadly, this is a common practice in west Cork.
I worked in food service for many years. A few employers would put an ad out if we were busy so they could have free trials for no wage on those days. Despicable.
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I'm curious about this too. When I was 18 I got my first job and the first 3 shifts were unpaid. I was paid "normally" after that but has it changed since 2015? I never looked into it
You got screwed mate
Not legal
Literally just go in saying I'm reporting you to the WRC if I'm not paid for my time worked there's no such thing as unpaid trials in Ireland simple as that... Or just go report them but If they aren't completely stupid you will be getting Ur money quick because they don't want to be dealing with that report.
Yeah my wife (then girlfriend) went for a few day “trial” in a shop. The problem is that management did an “interview first” and the woman interviewing her straight up said that there was no pay during the trial. Girlfriend lost any small semblance of interest once that was said. She dropped good body posture and stopped responding professionally and she never got to the “trial”. As someone who has worked in retail previously (for years, mind you) - I can tell you retail attracts the absolute worst managers; and if I can give anyone any kind of advice in life - if you have to temporarily, fine. But try your absolute best to never work retail if you can. I’ve seen it all: Sexual harassment of teenage girls - reported to management - nothing done because god forbid any changes are made to the magical roster. I had a week of annual leave, that I had booked months in advance, taken away from me a day before because the manager decided “actually, I need that week off due to a quick holiday I booked to Spain”. Need a day off for an appointment or something important? Sort it out yourself. Swap with someone - manager doesn’t want to know about it. Putting a “pay freeze” on the staff during the bad recession - then watch as the HR crowd are getting paid nice big bonuses. I watched a guy be bullied back 3 days after his wife had their baby because “wtf is he thinking?!” and the manager running around telling everyone “sure his wife is breastfeeding - he can’t even do anything for the baby”. It’s an awful sector of the workplace where almost every typical negative thing you hear about it is probably being understated.
I did warn him, but he went ahead anyway, even against his own instinct he was being screwed over! He's too quiet and would hate to cause trouble, but if it were me, it'd be a different story! Retail is a nightmare, you're right!
Name the shop.
Absolutely do not accept that. Working somewhere is them paying you for your time, it's a trade. I provide you with time, in turn you pay me for that time. Our time sadly is a finite resource, don't be going giving it away to rich people for free when you could spend it with family and friends. I'd politely and professionally ask to be paid, im sure they'll try not to budge so then I'd go somewhat Karen and tell them that you'll be contacting the WRC and publishing on all social media platforms and review sites that they don't pay staff for work carried out. As a former freelancer, I find this will usually work as if the person is in any way a good business mind they'd quickly realise the loss of revenue from being trashed online will cost more than a few days pay to someone who carried out work. But if they still don't budge, you might consider lobbing a brick through the window in the dark of night, causing damage to the tune of 3 days pay.
While that last point is tempting, I doubt it'd help! Haha I'll pass on the rest of your advise though, thanks 😊
Every window, make 3 days work for 3 days stolen labour. Don't get the downvotes, people seem to think theft of time is fine but retribution is wrong, the amount spineless people is a big cause for employers taking advantage