Regulation Order, 2026

L.N. 115 of 2026

EMPLOYMENT AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS ACT

(CAP. 452)

Printing and Publishing (Conditions of Work)

Regulation Order, 2026

IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by article 4(1) of the

Employment and Industrial Relations Act, the Minister responsible for

employment and industrial relations has made the following order:-

(1) The title of this order is the Printing and Publishing

(Conditions of Work) Regulation Order, 2026.

(2) This order shall come into force within two (2) months

from its date of publication in the Gazette.

(3) The provisions established in this order shall apply to all

employees in all establishments engaged in printing, publishing or

book binding

Provided that in the event that there is a collective

agreement applicable to the class of employees covered by this order,

the more favourable conditions in that agreement or in this order shall

In this order, unless the context otherwise requires

"Act" means the Employment and Industrial Relations Act;

"customary holidays" means the days, other than Sundays,

declared for the time being to be public holidays by, or under the

National Holidays and other Public Holidays Act;

"collective agreement" shall have the same meaning as

assigned to it in the Act;

"day worker" means an employee who is not a night

worker;

"hours of work" shall have the same meaning as assigned to

it in the Act;

"night worker" means an employee, other than a

watchperson, whose hours of work on any day, exclusive of

overtime, start after 5.00 p.m. or end after 8.00 p.m.;

"part-time employee" shall have the same meaning as

assigned to it in the Act;

"period of employment" shall have the same meaning as

assigned to it in the Act;

"time and a half" means one and a half times the hourly rate

obtained by dividing by forty (40) in the case of a day worker,

and by thirty-eight (38) in the case of a night worker, the

minimum weekly wage to which the employee shall be entitled

under the provisions of article 4 of this order;

"wage" means remuneration or earnings, payable by an

employer to an employee and shall include any bonus payable

under article 23 of the Act, other than any bonus or allowance

related to performance or production;

"whole-time employee" shall have the same meaning as

assigned to it in the Act;

"working day" in respect of any employee, means any day

in which such employee is normally expected to work.

The minimum weekly wage specified in article 4 relates

Hours of work.

(a) in the case of a day worker, to a week of forty (40)

hours of work distributed over five (5) days;

(b) in the case of a night worker, to a week of thirty-eight

(38) hours of work exclusive of overtime, and in the case of a

watchperson, to a week of forty-eight (48) hours of work

exclusive of overtime.

The minimum weekly remuneration payable to whole-time Minimum wage

for whole-time

employees shall be the following

employees.

(a)

watchpersons

€275.33; and

(b)

other employees

€229.44

(1) When the employee is required by the employer to Uniform

wear a uniform in the performance of his duties, such uniform shall be allowance.

provided by the employer free of any charge.

(2) Personal protective equipment according to the Minimum

Requirements for the Use of Personal Protective Equipment at Work S.L. 646.13.

Regulations shall also be provided by the employer free of charge.

Employees, whether day or night workers, shall be allowed Minimum daily

intervals for meals and rest of not less, in the aggregate, than one (1) rest.

hour in any period of employment where the hours of work are not less

than five and a half (5½).

All employees shall be entitled to a rest period according to

the Organisation of Working Time Regulations.

(1)

Overtime shall be payable as follows

(a) in the case of watchpersons, time-and-a-half for all

work in excess of forty-eight (48) hours in any week;

(b)

in the case of day workers other than watchpersons

(i) for work in excess of eight (8) hours in any one

day .................................... time and a half;

(ii) for work in excess of forty (40) hours in any

week, exclusive of any time paid for at overtime rates

.........time and a half;

(c)

in the case of night workers other than watchpersons

(i) for work in excess of six and a half hours in any

period of employment ............................time and a half;

(ii) for work in excess of thirty-eight (38) hours in

any week, exclusive of any time paid for at overtime rates

................ time and a half.

(2)

Notwithstanding the provisions of sub-article (1)

(a) in the case of night workers engaged on a five (5) day

week, any hours worked in excess of seven and a half (7½) hours

in any period of employment shall be paid at overtime rates; and

(b) subject to the provisions of article 11, in any week in

which a working day happens to be a customary holiday,

overtime shall be payable for work in excess of: thirty-two (32)

hours in the case of day workers; thirty-one and a half (31½)

hours in the case of night workers on a six (6) day week; and

thirty and a half (30½) hours in the case of night workers who

work on a five (5) day week.

The employee shall be entitled to annual leave according to

the Organisation of Working Time Regulations.

(1) A whole-time employee shall in every calendar year Sick leave.

be entitled to the equivalent in hours of twelve (12) days sick leave on

full pay, less an amount equal to the sum established for sickness

benefit entitlement at the rate determined in accordance with the

Social Security Act, and part-time employees shall have a pro rata Cap. 318.

entitlement to sick leave in hours on full pay, less an amount equal to

the sum established for sickness benefit entitlement at the rate

determined in accordance with the Social Security Act, which amount

shall also be calculated on a pro rata basis

Provided that

(a) the first three (3) days of any claim for sick leave

shall be paid in full by the employer;

(b) a medical certificate covering the period of absence

shall be submitted to the employer on the day of return to work

or, if such period of absence exceeds seven (7) days, within

seven (7) days of the commencement of absence due to sick

leave;

(c) employees receiving a social security pension in

respect of retirement or widowhood in accordance with the

Social Security Act shall, for the purpose of calculating the sick Cap. 318.

leave payment due, shall be deemed to have received an amount

equal to the sum established for sickness benefit entitlement at

the rate determined in accordance with the Social Security Act.

(2) Sick leave entitlements provided according to this

paragraph shall apply from the first day of employment

Provided that said entitlements shall be calculated pro rata

according to the date of employment in the relative calendar year.

(3) The employer may require a medical certificate by a

physician of his own choice to certify that the employee is unfit for

work during the period of sick leave.

(4) The sick leave entitlement shall be calculated on the basis

provided for annual leave as specified in regulation 8(1) of the

Organisation of Working Time Regulations.

Employees shall be entitled to the national holidays and to Other forms of

all public holidays with full pay, to all forms of leave according to the leave

Minimum Special Leave Entitlement Regulations and all other forms S.L. 452.101.

of leave that may, from time to time, be stipulated in the National

Standard Orders or any regulations made under the Act.

The Printing and Publishing Wages Council Order and the

Repeal and

saving.

Printing and Publishing Wages Council Wage Regulation Order are

hereby repealed without prejudice to anything done or omitted to be

done thereunder.

€0.45