Know Your Rights has been compiled by Kerry Citizens Information Service which provides a free and confidential service to the public…

Question:  I heard that the minimum wage has increased to €9.25 an hour. My employer says that this only applies to adults and that, as I am under 18, he won’t be increasing my hourly rate of pay. Is that right?

Answer: No. Since 1 January 2017, the statutory minimum wage for an experienced adult has increased to €9.25 per hour. Under the National Minimum Wage Act 2000, there are also pro-rata increases for those aged under 18 and for trainees. The new rates are as follows:

*You can find a definition of an experienced adult worker in this list of frequently asked questions on the national minimum wage by clicking here

If your employer is not paying you the appropriate minimum wage, you can make a complaint to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) using the online complaint form available on workplacerelations.ie.

In the complaint form you have two options. You may either request an inspector from the WRC to investigate a claim that the national minimum wage is not being paid or you may refer a dispute to a WRC adjudicator.

However, you can only refer a dispute if you have requested a statement from your employer outlining the calculation of the average hourly pay.

You can get more information on the minimum wage and your employment rights from the WRC Information and Customer Service (Lo-call 1890 80 80 90 or workplacerelations.ie) or from the Citizens Information Centre below.

• Contact us in Tralee on Tel: 0761 07 7860 Killarney 0761 07 7820, Listowel 0761 07 7840 Kenmare 0761 07 7810, Killorglin 0761 07830 & Caherciveen 0761 07 7780.

Information is also available online at citizensinformation.ie and from the Citizens Information Phone Service, 0761 07 4000