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Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997 (No. 20)Introductory TextActs Referred toPart I Preliminary and General (ss. 1-10)1. Short title and commencement.2. Interpretation.3. Non-application of Act or provisions thereof.4. Exemptions.5. Employer relieved from complying with certain provisions in certain circumstances.6. Compensatory rest periods.7. Regulations and orders.8. Inspectors.9. Repeals.10. Expenses.Part II Minimum Rest Periods and other matters relating to Working Time (ss. 11-18)11. Daily rest period.12. Rests and intervals at work.13. Weekly rest periods.14. Sunday work: supplemental provisions.15. Weekly working hours.16. Nightly working hours.17. Provision of information in relation to working time.18. Prohibition of zero hours working practices in certain circumstances and minimum payment in certain circumstances.18A. Banded hours.Part III Holidays (ss. 19-23)19. Entitlement to annual leave.20. Times and pay for annual leave.21. Entitlement in respect of public holidays.22. Public holidays: supplemental provisions.23. Compensation on cesser of employment.Part IV Miscellaneous (ss. 24-41)24. Approval of collective agreements by Labour Court.25. Records.26. Refusal by an employee to cooperate with employer in breaching Act.27. Complaints to rights commissioner.28. Decision of Labour Court on appeal from decision referred to in section 27(3).29. Enforcement of determinations of Labour Court.30. Evidence of failure to attend before or give evidence or produce documents to Labour Court.31. References to rights commissioner by Minister.32. Provisions in relation to outworkers who are employees.33. Prohibition on double employment.34. Penalties, proceedings, etc.35. Codes of practice.36. Provisions in relation to Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act, 1996.37. Voidance of certain provisions.38. Amendment of section 51 of Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 1989.39. Powers of rights commissioner, Employment Appeals Tribunal or Labour Court in certain cases.40. Alternative means of claiming relief in cases of non-compliance with Part III.41. Increase of penalties under certain enactments.First Schedule Transitional Provisions in relation to Annual Leave EntitlementsSecond Schedule Public HolidaysThird Schedule Entitlement under section 21 in respect of Public Holidays: ExceptionsFourth Schedule Enactments RepealedFifth Schedule Transitional Provisions in relation to section 15(1)Sixth Schedule Text of Council Directive
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AI Summary of 15. Weekly working hours.

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Version status: In force | Document consolidation status: Updated to reflect all known changes
Version date: 3 July 2023 - onwards
Version 6 of 6

15. Weekly working hours.

(1) An employer shall not permit an employee to work, in each period of 7 days, more than an average of 48 hours, that is to say an average of 48 hours calculated over a period (hereafter in this section referred to as a ''reference period'') that does not exceed -

(a) 4 months, or

(b) 6 months -

(i) in the case of an employee employed in an activity referred to in paragraph 2, point 2.1. of Article 17 of the Council Directive, or

(ii) where due to any matter referred to in section 5, it would not be practicable (if a reference period not exceeding 4 months were to apply in relation to the employee) for the employer to comply with this subsection,

or

(c) such length of time as, in the case of an employee employed in an activity mentioned in subsection (5), is specified in a collective agreement referred to in that subsection.

(2) Subsection (1) shall have effect subject to the Fifth Schedule (which contains transitional provisions in respect of the period of 24 months beginning on the commencement of that Schedule).

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