254. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether he is aware of concerns regarding the practical operation of banded-hour arrangements in the retail sector, including where such arrangements are governed by collective agreements; the protections that apply to employees where their weekly hours are spread across multiple short shifts; and whether he will engage with representative trade unions, including unions (details supplied), and retail employers to examine these concerns. [75147/26]

Ireland has a comprehensive set of employment rights. The Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act 2001 and the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018 provide important provisions to improve job security and working conditions for part-time workers and for employees in precarious or variable-hour roles.

The Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act 2001 is accompanied by a recently revised Workplace Relations Commission Code of Practice on Access to Part-Time Work which states that, as far as possible, employers should give consideration to requests by employees to transfer from full-time to part-time work; and requests by employees to transfer from part-time to full-time work-or to increase their working time should the opportunity arise.

The Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018 represented a major step forward in strengthening employment protections for workers, particularly those in precarious forms of employment or with variable working hours.

The 2018 Act inserted banded hours provisions into the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997. Under the legislation, employees whose actual hours differ from their contract can request to be placed in a band of weekly hours that reflects their average over the previous 12 months. Employers must respond within 4 weeks and can only refuse under specific conditions.

Employees have recourse to the Workplace Relations Commission if they feel their rights have been contravened.

Employers and employees may also mutually agree changes to the existing hours of work at any time, subject to the provisions of the Organisation of Working Time Act.

With regard to collective agreements, Ireland’s industrial relations system is founded on the principle of voluntary collective bargaining, and the Government supports constructive engagement between employers and workers’ representatives. The principal mechanisms for the resolution of collective industrial disputes are the conciliation services of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and, where appropriate, investigation and recommendation by the Labour Court.

I formally meet with the social partners on employment legislation through the Labour Employer Economic Forum Subgroup on Employment and Enterprise and I met with Mandate in October 2025.