Cleaner awarded €5,600 after WRC finds weekly hours exceeded legal limit

The Workplace Relations Commission awarded cleaner Nassor Sleyum €5,600 after finding Emerald Contract Cleaners (Ireland) Ltd t/a Emerald Facility Services permitted him to work more than the statutory maximum average of 48 hours a week. Sleyum said he worked 66.5 hours a week under a contract for 39 hours. The company argued that its timesheets showed scheduled hours he did not always work. The adjudicator accepted the timesheet evidence and found the company had not established the actual hours worked. The WRC said the award was equivalent to about 12 weeks’ pay on a 39-hour week. The decision, dated 30 July 2024, said compensation took account of the health and safety purpose of the hours limit and the contract’s overtime terms.